High School Loveline and the Rumors that Follow
by jailynn
Summary: Lauren and Puck figure things out and the students of William McKinley high school try and do the same  Puck/Lauren pairing.  Please no flames! Now officially not a one shot...
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow

**Author:** Jailynn

**Rating:** R

**Warning:** Some spoilers but not anything that won't be addressed in tonight's episode

**Fandom:** Glee

**Couple:** Lauren/Puck (features other characters from the show)

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Never will be mine. Not even going to try and claim them as mine

**Summary:** Lauren and Puck figure things out and the students of William McKinley high school try and do the same

**Feedback:** Please and thank you

**A/N:** I don't know if this will be more than a one-shot or not. I'd love to hear what you think... Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

=-0-=

"You're doing it wrong," she huffed from her position, small blue eyes peeking up at him from under her lashes. Her glasses long ago tossed aside.

He glared heatedly, insulted by her words, "I think I know what I'm doing. I've done this before."

"Obviously not well," she rolled her eyes, sighing deeply as she turned her head away from him for a moment, licking at her kiss bruised lips. He saw her starting to lose interest in this and couldn't have that, her words that he was a bad kisser still stung. "And you're still doing it wrong. It's supposed to go here-"

"I know where it's supposed to go," leaning over her, he moved his body just a touch to the right, finding the spot he knew most women melted over, bringing their lower bodies closer together. Her mouth dropped open, forming a perfect "o" and he smirked. "Now where were we?"

"We're in a hurry that's where we are," she brought her hands up, holding the back of his head, kissing him soundly, making his blood hum with need. She pulled back, "The bell is going to ring soon and we need to finish this soon before someone catches us."

"You can't rush love, babe," he leered down at her and she rolled her eyes again, a smile pulling at her lips at his words. He liked her smile. It brightened her face, lightened her already pretty eyes. "Besides who's going to find us and even if someone did, isn't that half the fun?"

"Hmm," she shook her head, "no, not really. I don't exactly want the whole school to know about this. I have a reputation to protect." She shifted, her breasts brushing against his chest. Her nipples hardened slightly and so did his body. He was finding it really hard (ha!) to concentrate on the conversation.

"And how exactly is this going to wreck your bad ass rep?"

She sighed, her gaze drifting to the clock over his shoulder, "Doesn't matter. Time's up. Move it," she straightened her clothes, brushing a hand through her hair, dislodging the tangles he helped cause from their heated make-out and grabbed the glasses sitting on the desk next to her, righting them on her face.

"You can't be serious," he shifted, his erection rubbing roughly- and painfully- against his denim jeans. "We have more time. Come on babe," he smirked at her, letting his eyes smolder. He moved closer to her, running his hand down her side, cupping her full breast through her clothes and leaned in a little to capture her lips again.

"I would suggest you rethink that move," her voice went lower, darker, causing him to shiver a little. She really was so fucking bad ass. He knew that she wanted him, but she wasn't going to give an inch. This both impressed [because most women just gave in] and frustrated him [because damn it, he hasn't had this bad a case of blue balls since he was thirteen]. Outside the door, they could hear the student body moving from class to class. "Okay that's my cue. See you later, Puckerman." Lauren walked confidently over to the door and opened it, leaving him alone in the empty classroom.

He groaned at the painful evidence of what just happened. He was denied once again and it was starting to drive him crazy. Adjusting himself as well as he could, Puck grabbed his books and exited to go...somewhere. What period in the day was this anyway?

=-0-=

_The school was buzzing with rumors. Puck- bad ass mother fucker that he was- was getting no where with Lauren- bad ass mother fucker in her own right. Most of the school was still trying to understand the attraction. Puck wasn't known for going for girls like Lauren and Lauren well she wasn't known for putting up with shit from guys like Puck. _

_When asked about the duo, Rachel Berry, resident Glee star- as she called herself- said that Puck and Lauren were really none of their business and everyone should keep their opinions to themselves. Also she didn't care if he was striking out with Lauren or not. She didn't pay attention to that type of thing._

_This happened right before one of the gossipers threw a cherry slushie in the girl's face for being so, so...Rachel._

_And the rumors continued..._

=-0-=

She looked up nervously from her chair to find him standing over her. Lauren tried to cover her nerves with bravado, glaring at her...boyfriend? Make-out buddy? She had no idea what he was other than a pain in her ass. Not that she was complaining too much. It was fun having Puck at her beck-and-call. His kissing has improved under her watchful eye. And she had to admit it was getting more difficult to cut the heavy petting short. She leaned back in her seat, snapping her thoughts before they progressed too dangerously down the wrong road. Frankly, she had enough to worry about- as in the fact that Mr. Schuester has given her a solo and wasn't letting her back out of it.

Sometimes she really hated that man. Jackass. Why was he making her sing? They just needed her to make it twelve people. Singing was never part of the deal...

"What do you want?" she asked quietly.

"You nervous about singing," he took his seat next to her in the empty choir room. It's the first time she's been there before anyone else and it was slightly unsettling. Lauren was used to Rachel fluttering about, talking excitedly about some song or musical or whatever crap she talked about while the other members carried on conversations of their own. She shifted, rubbing her hand over her skirt. "It's okay to be nervous."

"I'm not," she denied, but not as strongly as the last time she told him that during sectionals. "Why would I be nervous? It's just a stupid song."

Puck's eyes held hers and she became uncomfortably aware of how intensely they were watching her. His left eyebrow rose, "Picture the audience naked."

Lauren nearly choked, "Huh?"

"When you're up there," he motioned toward the front of the class. "Picture us in our underwear or something. It'll help you relax."

Amusement filled her, "Is that what you do, Puckerman?"

He just looked at her, sex clearly written across his face, making her insides shake. Yes it was definitely getting more difficult to deny him. The moment was broken by the other Glee members filing in with Mr. Schuester following them.

"Okay," their teacher took his place at the piano and looked out at the students. "Today we have a solo by Lauren. Are you ready?"

'_No_,' she thought, '_Hell no_.' Lauren stood from her chair and walked toward the front. Her stomach rolled violently as she took her place. It was weird standing here. The band started playing her song and she froze. Her mind went blank. '_Oh FUCK!_' Panic clawed at her. She couldn't remember the lyrics. The class was staring at her. What the hell was she supposed to do? She was a fucking wrestler, not a singer!

Her eyes drifted from one person to another, before landing on Puck. '_Think of us nude_,' his gaze said. He nodded his head at her and suddenly everyone was sitting in their underwear- well except for Puck who she pictured going commando. Her nerves melted away- replaced by amusement at some of the items she pictured them wearing.

The music started again and this time she was ready. Her song flowed. Her body moved. Her attitude infused the lyrics. It was fun- not that she would tell them that. Puck smiled at her. Those hazel brown orbs of his watching her as she told the world, she knew exactly what boys wanted.

Once it was over, Lauren felt excited and exhausted. All the nerves had taken their toll on her and she was so relieved it was done. Moving to sit back down, she looked directly at her _whatever_ Puck was and grinned. He was still naked in her mind and she was thinking about keeping him that way for a while. She liked the way he looked.

=-0-=

_Lauren and Puck are still the topic of conversation for most of the student body. Occasionally the story had to share time with Sam's break up with Quinn and Finn's involvement. Girls watched Lauren from afar, whispering about how she must be blackmailing the guy. When caught looking, Lauren glared at them. No one dared to look back._

_Christy- a girl in Puck's third period class- told Matty- a guy she was kinda seeing- who told Kevin- one of the hockey players – who told the lunch lady- that she saw Puck staring at Lauren like he wanted to jump her bones right there in class. Most thought Christy had it wrong. It was one thing for the rumor to go around that Lauren wasn't giving it up. It was another for Puck to actually act like there was something real between them. _

_Sex was understood- hell it was expected where Puck was concerned. Attraction- not so much._

_Mike Chang and Tina Cohen Chang refused to talk about it when asked. Tina just stared blankly at the kids in front of her and Mike shrugged. They got grape slushies in the face for being so difficult._

=-0-=

Puck couldn't believe he was going this far to get some. Beiber. Justin fucking Beiber. He was going to have to rob a convenience store to wipe this from his conscious. Sam, Artie and Mike stood next to him. At least he wasn't alone in the '_not getting some_' department. Damn Lauren and her take it slow demands! Why did she have to be so good at kissing? If she was bad he could write this shit off and move on. But no, he wanted her. He really wanted her. So now it's time to suck it up and rock out to the Beibs.

And he would rock it.

He didn't know how to do anything else. He was just that fucking awesome...even dressed like this. He looked out at the small group gathered and saw Lauren texting on her phone. Her lips were curled in a sarcastic smile as she clicked away. He wondered who she was texting. Over the last couple of weeks, he's come to find out she was a player in her own right. Having dated multiple guys at once before getting serious about Tony. The wrestler from a different school. Tony- he grimaced thinking about the guy- was still in the picture. Friends. That's what she said. Tony was her friend. Puck wasn't fond of Tony. The guy was 6'10 and tipped the scales at 345 pounds. From the pictures he has seen, Puck was fairly sure the guy could break him in half...not that he was worried.

Puckerman shook his head and got ready with the others. Lauren looked up just as the song started. Her tongue peeked out and rolled across her bottom lip. His body reacted. That's why he was doing this. That tongue. That mouth. Those hands. The relief from blue ball hell.

The song was cheesy but the girls went wild. He watched her as he thrust his hips in her direction. Lauren looked away but not before he caught the blush in her cheeks. Sometimes he saw her tough exterior break and it always surprised him. There was a lot about her no one knew about and yeah, while he wanted to know what she was like in the bedroom [he was pretty convinced she would be a freak in the best possible way]- he knew she had talent from their make-out sessions- he also really liked _her_.

The dance moves for him were easy compared to the ones Mike was doing. He sang his parts with added heat- directing all of it her way. Lauren stood from her chair and moved with the rest of the girls to the front of the stage. She swayed in time with music. He moved closer to her as the final chords played and the song came to an end. Lauren smiled, clapping her hands with the others.

Puck hopped from the stage and stood in front of her. He waited for her to say something. This is the second time he has sang to her and he admitted now that the first time wasn't exactly perfect. It was still a bad ass song and he meant every word though. She straightened her glasses and smirked at him.

"Better," her voice was a mixture of admiration and heat. He liked the combo and was hopeful that this would finally be his in. "Maybe you are ready for this jelly."

"Does that mean..." he let the statement drop. They both knew what he meant and they both knew that the want was mutual.

"That means you're learning Puckerman," Lauren really would _NOT_ give him an inch. Damn he enjoyed that. "Why don't you come over my house after school...say around six?"

He nodded, his lips pursed and his mind starting to wander. He could make it home, shower, change and get to the drug store for condoms with plenty of time to spare.

Justin fucking Beiber really was like a mini-sex-God.

=-0-=

_It was quiet for the next week after that. No new Lauren and Puck stories. There was disappointment as well as some relief. A lot of the students thought that the natural order had been restore. Puck must have moved on or maybe back to Santana. That was his (and her) stand by relationship. And Lauren, well, wrestling season was getting ready to start. _

_Then one day, two weeks after Monica swore she saw Puck kissing Lauren under the bleachers when she was having her mid-afternoon, this school sucks smoke- no one believed what Monica had to say though, the chick was known to lie- and three weeks after most of the gossip about them had died down- there were growing whispers that maybe Lauren and Puck really weren't over. _

_Frank, a water boy for the wrestling team told Jason- who whispered in the ear of his girlfriend Sarah- who recalled to the entire flag core- who then spread the story to their friends- that Puck was holding Lauren's hand at one of the wrestling meets while she waited for her turn on the mat. He was overheard telling her that she was going to fucking crush the other guy. _

_Two students cornered Mercedes at her locker after school and asked if this was true. Mercedes just rolled her eyes and slammed the locker door shut, telling the idiots to get out of her way. The green apple slushie that was thrown on her came out of no where. _

=-0-=

Lauren tapped her pencil against the side of her book and watched her boyfriend, yes she finally let him be her boyfriend, read the same sentence over again. One hour of study to one hour of fooling around. That was the deal she made with him. They had finals coming up and she wasn't about to fail. Getting out of this town was her goal and using wrestling to get there was the plan, but if she got kicked off the team because of her grades slipping – well she would break some heads. So Puck was forced to take a backseat while she tried to cram as much information about world war II in her head as she could.

Mr. Moore was a bastard. A comprehensive exam that would cover everything from the beginning of the year for their final. The man needed to die! Her brain felt like it was beginning to swell and might explode at any moment. AP History. She should never have taken this mother fucking course. The alarm on her phone chimed and Puck looked up grinning. An hour was up. Fun time!

She pushed the book off her lap, reaching for the boy at the other end of the bed. He rolled her over, rubbing his hands across her body. His tongue slipped through her lips, tangling with her own. Oh he has gotten damn good at knowing what turned her on! The fingers of his left hand slid under the material of her shirt, slowly rising toward her bra covered breast. She moaned in spite of herself causing him to chuckle against her lips. She wanted to be pissed but it wasn't easy to pull off considering she was half panting at the way he moved his hips against hers.

They've been seeing each other for a month and a half now and hadn't quite made it to the sex part. Oh there was plenty of touching. She's given him hand jobs and done other things to make him happy and he has made her feel light-headed with his fingers and tongue- but sex-sex was still a line she wasn't willing to cross yet. Puck hadn't earned that right...but he was getting closer.

The need for air had her pulling away from him, he moved his lips down her neck, sucking on a spot he found two weeks ago made her shiver. Lauren closed her eyes tightly, enjoying the sensations he was creating. He nipped at her skin, teeth grazing lightly at her flesh. Her pulse jumped and she dug her nails into his upper arms. That felt damn good.

He pulled back, a cocky grin on his face. "You like that?"

Her natural instinct to be a bitch kicked in to cover her reaction, "You worried you're losing your touch Puckerman, that you need reassurance?"

His eyes slant, the expression of confidence so deeply imbedded, she couldn't help but roll her own eyes. "I think we both know that I don't need to be reassured." He touched the spot right above her bra where a dark hickey he made the night before was. "You screaming my name last night made it quite clear you enjoy what I do to you babe."

Denying that would be pointless and really time was starting to run out on the fun part of the evening. An hour for an hour. Talking wasn't what she wanted to do right then. "Shut up, Puck," she said before grabbing the back of his head and kissing him senseless.

=-0-=

_It was official. No more gossip. Lauren Zizes and Noah Puckerman were dating. It was still a source of whispers but now it wasn't about were they or weren't they, it was if Lauren was better than all the rest of Puck's conquests. He has already stayed with her the longest. Girls that he had been with looked at the bigger woman and snarled that there was no way she was better than them. Vicious taunts were spoken about Lauren in the woman's bathroom, but the wrestler never reacted. She merely glared at the jealous girls and walked away. It was a pretty effective response though. _

_The guys of the school were intrigued. Puck staying with Lauren had to mean she was a good lay. They talked about maybe trying to steal her away from the bad ass of the school for a turn, but those loud suggestions were quickly stopped when during lunch one afternoon one guy got punched in the face by none other than Puck, who had been walking by and overheard the conversation. The talking between the guys continued, but they were more careful about where and when they did it._

_It was just after spring break that a new and juicy rumor started to circulate. Puck and Lauren had made a sex tape! Supposedly Jake- who worked at the only pizza place in town with Greg- who knew a guy named Harry- had heard from a girl named Emily -who got a text saying that while getting busy one day- Lauren and he made one. Jake then told his friends that he bet it was true. Lauren was part of the AV department at school and Puck wouldn't exactly say no to something like that. _

_Santana and Brittany found the whole thing to be funny- well after Santana explained to Brittany what the rumor was- and told anyone that would listen that it was ridiculous. Santana then went on to say that if the morons didn't leave her alone she would kick their ass because she had better things to do then talk about Puck and Lauren. _

_Brittany agreed._

_They got hit in the face with blue raspberry slushies. The boys that did it are at the nurses office now because Santana kicked them both in the nuts until they cried._

=-0-=


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all that reviewed the story. It means so much to me. I really hope you like this chapter...I'm not too sure about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Feedback:** Please and thank you

**A/N:** Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

=-0-=

Chapter 2

=-0-=

The party was definitely over for him. She placed a bag of ice gently on his ...wounded area. He hissed slightly at the cold blocks of water being place on that spot. He _really_ hated Tony. He turned his head toward the wrestler and Lauren's ex. A small part of him smirked at the blood leaking from the bigger man's nose and mouth. He was winning the fucking fight until the bastard went below the belt. Literally. Mother fucker. No man should ever go for the balls. It was fucked up and cheating!

Tony stood from his chair across the room and headed toward Lauren. His girlfriend inched closer to him and crossed her arms over her chest. "What the fuck do you want?" she hissed in full- gonna kick your ass mode.

Puck felt smug at the way her voice halted his steps. To say that Lauren was pissed would have been an understatement. He could feel the heat radiating off of her in waves. He found the way her eyes flashed to be incredibly sexy. Damn his girl was hot!

"I just want to talk to you," he said hesitatingly.

She looked back at Puck then at her ex, before nodding. "Two minutes. Starting now."

"Can't we go somewhere alone to do this?"

"No, one minute and fifty seconds."

"Lauren," Tony knelt down, no easy task for him, in front of her and tried to take her hands in his. Puck shifted up in his seat. In pain or not, he would kick his ass if he touched Lauren again. She shot him a look that clearly said, '_Back off, Puckerman, I can take care of myself._' He begrudgingly leaned back. "I get why you're with him," he nodded in Puck's direction. "But really what could you possibly have in common. Sex? Don't let him use that to make you forget where you belong. We work. You know that."

There was silence in the wake of his confession and for half a second, Puck wondered if Tony might have actually gotten through to her. Then he saw her fist curl and her mouth twist and knew the other guy had seriously fucked up. Puck bit back a smirk.

"First of all, you don't know why I'm with him," she said in a flat tone of hers that seemed to hold more bite than had she raised her voice to emphasize her point. "And second of all, I make my own decisions. If I want to stay with him because the sex is great then I will. As for us working, bullshit! The only reason you want me back now is because I'm with him, so back off or I'm going to break your balls off and feed them to you."

Tony's face turned a shade of white that just wasn't healthy and turned around leaving them alone. She sighed, removing the bag from his injured area. He really hoped no permanent damage had been done. That part of him was too important. There was still so much left for it to do. Lauren moved closer to him, giving him a nice view as her shirt fell down a little. Puck licked his lips and blood rushed through his body.

"Sorry about Tony. He isn't usually such a jackass." She paused then spoke very quietly, her voice turning sultry, "Is there something I can to for you?" A wolfish grin found it's way onto his lips and he raised one eyebrow suggestively. She grabbed his hand and led him to some room in the back of the house, pushing him slightly until he fell onto the bed in the center once she closed and locked the door behind her. His palms itched to feel her body and he started to reach for her, she slapped his hands away before they got too close. "Unless you want a matching bruise on the other side, I suggest you listen to what I have to say." He nodded, but his eyes were focused entirely on her breasts in front of him. "Hey," she snapped her fingers. "Puckerman are you listening?"

"Yeah, whatever."

She rolled her eyes and sat next to him on the bed. "I'm only going to say this once so you better pay attention." She took a deep breath and then said very quickly, "I don't need you to stand up for me, but thanks for doing it anyway." A different feeling settled between them. He saw her bite at her bottom lip, making it red and raw. He wanted to use his tongue to lick at the sore spot. Lauren turned to look at him then rolled her eyes again, grabbed him roughly and kissed him.

He maneuvered them until he was hovering over her. Her chest rose and fell with each breath. He cupped her breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumb back and forth over her nipples causing them to harden underneath his touch. She moaned, biting her lip and closing her eyes tightly. He relished in the sound, in the knowing that he was driving her wild. "So," he hummed against her neck, "how about you kiss my injury and make it better?"

She groaned and pushed him off of her. He pouted up at her. Her lips twisted for a second as she thought about it then she sighed. He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head, grinning.

=-0-=

_Glee club became boring as far as the school was concerned. No gossip was being generated. From anyone!_

_Nothing. _

_No one had heard anything about any of them in weeks. The sex tape could never be confirmed and after a while the story (and all it's variations) seemed as bland as the mashed potatoes in the school lunch room. Sam and Santana relationship held people's interest for a second, but then it too became routine and really it was hardly surprising- Santana has been with most of the football team. Artie and Tina's mid-morning blow up on a quiet Tuesday was the topic of whispers for three days. (The wheelchair kid and the goth could be getting back together- what about Brittany and Mike?) That too fizzled after nothing came from the it. _

_It got so bad that the popular kids started relying on the ones closest to Lauren for dish about Puck and her. That meant the AV geeks were Rock-stars for a while. The cheerios all felt the need to bathe after Jacob promised them an exclusive if they would let him feel them up. He was the only non-Glee kid to get multiple slushies in the face for being so...__**gross**__! Yuck! Creepy bastard._

_Finally after weeks of nothing, a ray of gossipy hope! Ryan, who was on a date with Carly, told his football teammate- Brandon- who called- Sandra- who was standing next to Kevin- who immediately texted his "friend" Trey- that he saw Puck talking to some older chick in front of Breadstix! Lauren was no where to be seen. This of course spread like wildfire throughout the student body of William McKinley High. Puck could be cheating on the female wrestler! _

_Sandra was told by another Cheerio-Tasha- who had a boyfriend on the wrestling team- later that night that Lauren was actually out of town that weekend on a wrestling trip so he probably was cheating. It would make the most sense. Trey mentioned to Kevin that he was less than sure about the rumor. Would Puck really be stupid enough to cheat on a girl that could twist him up like a pretzel? That gave some people pause, before most said, yes, yes he was._

_When school started back, no one knew where to look for information. So they waited in the halls. Puck and Lauren arrived just before the first bell. Her hair looked messed up and his lips were curled in a self-satisfied smirk. It didn't take a genius to realize they were still together... A group of kids walked up to them with cups of banana flavored slushies in hand, but one look from Lauren and Puck made the kids turn the cold drinks on themselves. Taking on one was one thing. Both was suicide._

=-0-=

It was a Friday the first time they had sex. He didn't spend the night. And that was fine with her. Really. She was glad. He didn't jump up and leave immediately afterward, but there also wasn't a whole lot of cuddling either. He held her for a little while as they both stared at the ceiling. Completely at a lost for words. Honestly the whole thing was awkward. Not bad...well not really, just very awkward. Lauren didn't know what she was expecting, and she still wasn't sure if it lived up to the hype, but when it was over all she wanted to do was sleep. So that's what she did. When she woke up the next morning, she tried to find something different about herself.

Did her eyes look a little brighter? Did she have more confidence? Was there some outward sign that she had had sex for the first time? Because it was her first time. Lauren prided herself on her sexual confidence. She knew that she was fucking hot, even if not everyone else at that fucking school did. She knew there were guys liked that she honestly didn't give a shit and could take care of herself. They liked that when it came right down to it, she could do without them just fine. Men were just the added bonus of life. She never lacked in the boyfriend department, even if she didn't look like Quinn or Santana. But when it came to sex, she always put on the brakes. Not because of some moral, '_sex before marriage was wrong and if you do it you're going to hell_' thing. Fuck that! That mindset was bullshit and oppressive. Sex was natural and people have been doing it every which way since the dawn of time.

So no that wasn't what always stopped her. It was the timing. It was the guys. It never felt right. And she wanted it to feel right. Just because she wasn't a girly-girl didn't mean she didn't want to have her first time mean something. She didn't want to feel stupid for doing it, because at the end of the day, it was a pretty big deal. Now it's happened and she didn't know if all the waiting was worth it. The one thing she _could_ say though was she didn't completely regret doing it with him.

Puck was a good lover. She expected him to be rough, to think only of his own needs, but he surprised her. She guessed being with half the school helped him develop the ability to put the girl a little before himself. He was patient with her, especially when she told him her deep dark secret about still being a virgin. Of course that's when hot and heavy became slow and hesitant. That's when something real changed between them. She hated that.

The next day he called her. She ignored it. Choosing instead to spend the day working with her dad on his red and white striped '65 Chevy Impala. Lauren let the rumble of the engine and the feel of the tools keep her mind busy. By the time Saturday was over, Puck had left three text messages and called a total of six times. She went to bed without calling or texting him back.

Sunday she went to the mall and walked around. Believe what you wanted about her, Lauren liked to try on clothes, mix and match things no one else would. It was always fun to watch the eyes of store employees bug out at the outfits she tried on. Lauren got a secret thrill out of making them uncomfortable. It wasn't her fault they didn't like the way she looked. That was their problem. And they could fuck off for all she cared. After the mall, she headed to the book store and wandered aimlessly through the aisles. She read the titles of the newest vampire romance books. Ghosted over toward the sports section and picked up the biography of Mick Foley, skimming through her favorite parts.

When she returned home and checked her phone there were more messages waiting for her from Puck. This time she texted him back: _Been busy. Will talk to you at school tomorrow_. Then she turned her phone off and turned on her computer watching amusing videos on Youtube of people being idiots until it was time to go to sleep. Her head hit the pillow both dreading and anticipating seeing Puck again.

Standing in the bathroom now, Lauren slanted her eyes at her reflection in the mirror. She still didn't look different. Sighing a little to herself, she got ready for school, braiding her hair quickly and applying her make-up.

Pulling into the school parking lot, she sat in her car for a moment watching everyone move toward the building, her eyes searching for him. He wasn't in the crowd. That didn't surprise her. Puck wasn't known to show up early to school. Sometimes he didn't show up at all until football or Glee practice. Those were the only things he really cared about in this place. Gathering her books, she climbed out of the vehicle walking purposefully to her locker. Her steps slowed when she saw Puck leaning against it.

Straightening her back, she shifted the books against her chest and continued toward him. His eyes narrowed slightly at her. Lauren glared back, annoyed by him all of the sudden, "What?"

"Really," he asked disbelievingly, "you're going with '_what_'?" She shrugged, turning away from him to spin her lock. She could feel his eyes on her and it made her skin feel too tight for her body. Changing her books out, she shut the door and went to step around him to head to her homeroom. He grabbed her hand, stopping her progress and walked them both to the janitor's closet.

Lauren felt her anger rise once he closed the door behind him. "What the hell, Puckerman?"

"That's what I'd like to know, Zizes," he leaned into her. "What the hell is going on? Why have you been avoiding me?"

She narrowed her eyes further, "What makes you think I've been avoiding you?" Shifting her weight to her heels, she frowned at him. "I didn't think you would be the clingy type Puckerman."

"And I didn't think you would be a coward Zizes," he countered. His eyes hot and intense in the darkened room.

"Watch it," she growled. "I'm not a coward. Never was, never will be."

Puck stared at her and she felt like he was trying to see beyond her soul. It was creepy and weird and made her want to escape. "Maybe not with the major stuff." His voice dropped into a husky, knowing tone. "But when it comes to the emotional shit, I think you are."

"Screw you," she hissed. The statement felt too real. They weren't supposed to be real. He wasn't supposed to know her. Yeah she didn't just want someone to fool around with, but she also didn't want someone that thought they knew her better than she knew herself. He took a step toward her and she backed up, knocking into the supply racks. Her stomach felt tight and her heart was trying to pound right out of her chest. His eyes never left hers as he kissed her. Lauren didn't want to, but she melted into the kiss. She hadn't realized how much she missed him in the past two days until that moment. Her books dropped to the floor as she let go of them and she wrapped her arms around him, deepening the kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed once she lost herself completely in the feeling of him. The tightness in her lungs forced her to pull away from him. Need hummed in her blood as she stared at him for a moment. Her lips curled up of their own accord. He grinned back at her knowingly causing her to roll her eyes at him and repeat her words from earlier, "Screw you."

Puck leered at her, letting his eyes slowly slide down her body, "_Any_time, babe. Anytime."

=-0-=

_The rumor mill was in over drive by the end of the weekend. Sally told her friend Kelly- who mentioned to Chris, her cousin- that she heard Puck talking on the phone Saturday. It seemed like all wasn't well in bizzaro world- which is what most of the kids called Puck and Lauren's relationship, because they had to be an alternate universe or something. They've been together for over three and a half months! That name was only whispered though. No one wanted to end up being put in a coma by either of the bad asses of William McKinley high. Sunday- a group of cheerios sent a mass text that Lauren was spotted at the mall without Puck. Adding fuel to the rumor that the break up everyone knew (thought) was coming was about to happen, especially after the last rumor about Puck cheating. _

_Monday morning all eyes were on Lauren's locker, where Puck was. It didn't take a brain surgeon or psychic to see the tension between them. For all watching, which was pretty much all the students in the hallway, it was like a mini episode of some teen drama. When he dragged Lauren toward the janitor's closet, texts were already being sent. This was it. It had to be._

_Terry – kid that sat next to Lauren in homeroom and first period said to Lynn- who casually recalled to Molly at lunch- who told Harry during gym class- that Lauren never showed up for homeroom that morning. Lynn said that she heard it was because Lauren was crying her eyes out in the bathroom over being dumped. Not many people believed that...Lauren Zizes wasn't exactly a crier and Puck wasn't in the nurse's office with a broken arm._

_Between fifth and sixth period some students asked Finn about it. He shook his head, claiming not to know anything about Puck and Lauren. And even if he did, why would he tell them? The orange slushie he got covered in was well deserved- at least all the guys whose girlfriends kissed him when he set up that kissing booth thought so._

=-0-=


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: First let me say: Thank you to all of you that reviewed. I'm thrilled that you are enjoying the story so much. I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to update. Unfortunately, and I have been having a lover's spat and it hasn't let me do anything for days. I really hope that you like this chapter. Please, Please, please let me know. I really love hearing from you all. Thanks again for your patience and your reviews. *g***

**

* * *

**

**Feedback:** Please and thank you

**A/N:** Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

=-0-=

Chapter 3

=-0-=

The movie theater was packed, but they managed to find seats in the way back corner. His hand rested on her inner thigh-inching as high as she would let him go- while one of her fingers slid up and down his arm, causing him to shift uncomfortably in the hard theater seat. The lights flickered across her face as the horror movie monster came out of the bushes to kill the first person. She laughed at his side, chuckling at all the screams that surrounded them. He watched her, shaking his head with an amused smile on his face. She was so different. And ever since they had sex the dynamic of their relationship had changed. It became slightly more ...complicated.

Complicated. That was a word he hated. It was a word that screamed at him like his mother when once again she wondered why he couldn't find a nice Jewish girl. Not that she didn't like Lauren. Puck was convinced a small part of her wanted to convert Lauren so that she could finally be completely satisfied with someone he was...dating. Shit. He was dating someone. Seriously dating someone. As in he hasn't even looked at another girl in months. When did that happen? And why the hell didn't he realize it was happening so he could stop it?

He never wanted to be in a serious relationship. It caused too many issues. All he had to do was look at Sam and Finn. Sam was completely pussy whipped by Santana and Finn, well he was _NOT_ pussy whipped [because he wasn't getting any]. He was just whipped. Which Puck admitted was amusing to watch his best friend get dragged around by the balls by whichever girl he was dating at that time. It was funny from the outside. When the damn shoe was on his foot...fuck, when did this happen?

When did Lauren Zizes manage to do what no other girl could?

This all started because she tested him. She didn't want him, which puzzled him, because every girl wanted him. She wanted him to leave her alone. She called him a bad kisser! And Puck knew that couldn't have been the case. But that moment stayed with him. The feel of her body as she pressed him against the rack and kissed him breathless while toilet paper fell on him. He's kissed a lot of girls and women and she was [and is] the first that made him feel like the world was slightly off it's axis- well since Mrs. Knapp- that cougar could teach a class on how to make a man whimper like a puppy. He couldn't stop thinking about it. Even when he was with Rachel that one time so that she could get back at Finn. When he backed off, he told her it was because he couldn't do that to him again, and that was partially true- he hated not having Finn as his friend, but the other truth was he was thinking about Lauren.

He fought it. He really did. But soon he couldn't. Puck would watch her in the halls, in class, in Glee. And find more and more he liked. It wasn't everyday that he found a girl that was as bad ass as he was. That didn't give two shits about what people thought of her. That was when he decided he needed to satisfy his obsession and get with her. Puck wasn't going to lie and say that it was his intention to be with her this long. Because he didn't have any intentions toward her, other than wanting to prove to her that he could rock her world in the same way she rocked his. Lauren was the one that changed the game on him. She was the one that made him work for her attention. She was the one that wanted to go slow...

And now here he was. Dating her. In a fucking serious relationship with her. Shit. He wasn't made to be a boyfriend. He was the guy girls used for a little bit of fun. He was the one that caused trouble for the _boyfriend_. The last time he tried to be that guy was with Quinn and that was mostly because of his daughter. He really needed his brain to stop thinking now. He's never been a deep thinker why the fuck was he starting now? Was the air getting thin in here? He scooted in his seat trying to get comfortable. He could feel her eyes on him and he licked his lips. The rest of the movie seemed to drag on. He wanted to get out and in the fresh night air.

By the time the credits were beginning to roll, he grabbed her hand and led her from the theater. "Where's the fire, Puckerman?"

He turned to face her, "No fire. Just wanted to be alone with you, babe." Her blue eyes shifted, showing she didn't believe him. "Come on, lets get out of here." He tried to pull her toward his truck, but she wouldn't budge. "Zizes..."

"I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me what the hell is going on," Lauren let go of his hand and crossed her arms over her chest. "So spill." This was not a conversation he wanted to have in the middle of theater parking lot. He felt like there were eyes everywhere watching and he knew that might not be just paranoia talking. He pretended not to hear the rumors, but they were hard to avoid. It still pissed him off that those guys wanted to steal Lauren from him because they thought she had to be a good lay. Which she turned out to be once she got more comfortable with sex. It didn't take her long. The girl unlocked her dirty side after only a couple of times. Oh _damn_ he loved that naughty side. Especially when she does that thing with her tongue. "Puckerman!"

He shook his thoughts from his head and did his best '_wanna sex you up_' smile adding just the right amount of heat to his stare. It wasn't hard to pull off. After thinking about her tongue, he was finding it very difficult getting comfortable in his jeans. "There is nothing going on. I just really want to get you alone."

She shifted a little, squinting her eyes, trying to find a lie in his words. He waited for what seemed like a lifetime under her gaze before she extended her hand out and he took it in his. They walked the short distance to his truck and he opened the passenger side door for her. She turned to face him and leveled him with a stare. "Just know that I know you're lying about something." Lauren climbed in and smiled. "And I will find out what it is. So you might as well save yourself the time and pain and just tell me."

Closing her door, Puck walked around the car and slid behind the wheel. The radio played old rock. He turned it up to drown out the silence between them as he drove toward a quiet spot he knew about. Pulling down a dark, dirt road, he cut off the engine and turned in his seat to face her. The silver of moon was the only light, but he could still see the arch of her brow as she turned to face him.

"What the fuck are we doing Zizes?"

Her other brow shot into her hair line, "Wha?"

"I'm not really great with the whole boyfriend thing." He shook his head, looking over her shoulder. "When I agreed to go slow, I didn't think we would..."

"Actually stay together beyond the first night of sex," she finished. He didn't want to feel ashamed. He's never felt bad about that before, but he didn't like the way it sounded coming from her. His mouth twisted in annoyance. She was oddly calm. "Why do you think I didn't say yes when you first asked me out?" He opened his mouth, before quickly shutting it again. She sighed, "I don't know what the hell freaked you out so much. We've been dating for months and suddenly you're having a melt down?"

"I was thinking about my mother while with you," at her look of horror, he quickly continued, "I mean, she's been yelling about me marrying a Jewish girl and how I never date any nice Jews. And that made me realize I've been in a serious relationship for a while and I had no fucking clue."

"Okay, first off: You aren't that stupid." Lauren shook her head. "You like people to believe you aren't bright and maybe in some areas you aren't, but you do have a brain when you want to use it. However rare the occasion is that you do. Second: I'm not looking that far ahead. We are still pretty new and frankly I'm enjoying the fun right now. I'm young and hot and you are rather sexy and that's all I'm thinking about. So, stop over analyzing." She scooted closer to him, careful of the gearshift. "Save that for the idiots like Finn and Berry. They like being all angsty and shit."

He grinned, leaning over and capturing her lips with his. She wrapped her hand in his white shirt, pulling the material up as he eased her onto the seat. His fingers were working on the buttons of her shirt, slowly separating the folds to expose her to his hungry eyes. Puck's placed open mouth kisses along her collarbone, moving south, when she pushed against him.

"Stop," he pulled back, panting. She opened her eyes and pushed against him again. "This can't happen here."

"What, why?" He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a condom. "I got you covered babe."

"No, moron," she pushed again and this time he leaned all the way back. Lauren's face relaxed once she moved further into her passenger seat. "I mean, we literally can't do it here. The gearshift was making things very unpleasant." A grin started pulling at his lips when he realized what she meant. "I'm into a lot of things. Willing to try most. That-" she pointed to the stick. "Up the ass, isn't one of them."

Puck grinned at her, wrapping his hands around her face and pulling her in for a deep kiss, making sure to avoid the gear.

=-0-=

_There was a Facebook page dedicated to Lauren and Puck. Through underground messages, it became a 'must go to' site for most of the school. It was friend locked, so only those in the know could see it. Pictures were posted daily as well as the latest rumors and sightings. It was the school answer to Television reruns. Damn reruns and hiatuses! The moderator was a mystery. Some suspected it was Jacob. He always seemed to know more than he should. Clara- a cheerio- said it was because he had hidden cameras all around the school. It was a theory most supported. How else could he have known about Quinn's pregnancy last year before anyone else? Wendy- Clara's best friend- said that just proved how creepy he really was. That was a statement no one could deny._

_The latest photo added to the site was of them at the movies. One of the ushers at the movie theater and a McKinley High baseball player- Kenny- managed to sneak a quick picture before he was caught and posted it to the site immediately after. The comments underneath varied from 'Aww how cute' to 'where the hell are her hands! That's a public place' to 'Dude she so has to be a good lay. Need to get me a BBW'. _

_The latest status update: The girl Puck was seen with weeks ago ended up being the manager for Breadstix. Noah Puckerman was trying to get a job at the restaurant! He wasn't cheating on Lauren. Trey gloated to Kevin that he owed him payment. No one knew what the payment was. Some chose not to know. _

_This left the school stumped though. Could Puck and Lauren be for real? Are they really the IT couple? That was the biggest question. Because if they were...all the girls wanted to know what Lauren's secret was. No one has ever made Puck a one woman man, not even Quinn. Everyone knew that he was still sexting Santana during that time. So...how did she do it? _

_Finding Brittany and Artie at Han's Hamburgers on main, a group of kids asked them. Artie laughed and said that they just seemed to work. He couldn't explain it and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Brittany smiled at her boyfriend, kissing him soundly on the lips. No slushies were on hand to cool them off, but the large Pepsi's seemed to work just fine. _

=-0-=

It was evil. The shit was _EVIL_. Those fucking commercials with sexy people dancing and smiling was a complete lie. She half crawled- half walked all the way from the kitchen where most of the Glee kids were to the cool tile of the foyer. The lights were too bright for her eyes and she shut them as tightly as she could without causing anymore pain to her head.

"God help me," she moaned, gripping the plastic bowl in her arms and hanging her head over the rim. "I will never drink again. Just please stop the spinning." Lauren could feel his eyes on her. She opened one eye and glared at him until that hurt too much to do. "Stop looking at me, Mr. I-can-hold-my-booze. Asshole!"

"It's not my fault you're a light weight when it comes to the alcohol." She could feel his amusement and it made her want to hit him until he felt as bad as she did. Since that would take too much effort, she flipped him the bird instead. Oh her father was going to kill her! She's drank before, been to bigger parties then this before- wrestlers knew how to party- but she's never felt like this. [Maybe that was because Rachel's party started out as one of the worse she had ever been to- liquor was required] Usually she could handle the liquor just fine, but trying to keep up with Puck wasn't easy. How in the hell he drank as much as he did without hanging over a bowl too was a mystery that she just couldn't solve with her head feeling like someone took a hammer to the side of it. But it pissed her the fuck off. Bastard should be praying for help too! "You want to go home? Finn is the DD tonight. He'll drive us."

The thought of moving from where she was laying on the nice cold, tile foyer floor made her heave again. She gently as possible shook her head. "No, I don't want to move." Lauren wanted to die, that's what she wanted. God how do college kids do this every weekend? "Just leave me here to puke my brains out and go enjoy the party."

He took a seat next to her and leaned back against the wall. "The party's lame." Puck placed the red plastic cup he was holding on the other side of him. The sound it made resonated in her head like a gunshot. "The funniest part has already happened: Rachel fell off her stage while singing. Damn I wish I had filmed that. It would have been a Youtube hit!"

"That was funny," she turned her head toward him, keeping her eyes closed as she did to stop the wave of nausea. "That Blaine guy was kinda cute. Can't dance though. He's gay right?"

"That's the rumor," his voice held an edge to it.

She was too wasted to care why though. "_Damn_. Well at least that means that Kurt guy is going to get some. Speaking of rumors, we seem to be the topic of a lot of them. Did you know we made a sex tape? I hope I was good. Have a reputation to protect." She gripped the bowl tighter as her stomach revolved again.

"I'm sure you were." Puck said. "In fact I'd love to see what you did on the tape. I bet it was sexy as hell."

She smirked, cracking an eye open, "You aren't getting laid tonight, Puckerman." She paused. "At least not by me."

It was a test, much like the night she stood him up. Lauren knew she shouldn't test him. He has been a really good boyfriend and she was starting to feel more for him. Maybe that's why she did it. She didn't want to be the only one in this. God alcohol made her that girl- the girly, needy one with a pissed off edge. She grimaced. She hated that fucking girl. Lauren was _NEVER_ going to drink like this again.

"Well then I guess it's just me and my hand tonight," he replied.

She grinned at him, braving the blinding fucking lights- who has lights this bright?- to see him. "Good answer, Puckerman."

He smirked. "Do I get a treat once you're sober for it?"

"Puck," she moved into a sitting/leaning position beside him against the wall. "I probably won't remember this conversation in the morning, so I won't know why you want a damn treat. Besides, I think I've been giving you quite a few treats lately."

He leered at her, "And I've enjoyed every single one, babe."

"Damn straight you have," Lauren didn't even try to hide the self-satisfied smirk before it was wiped away by another round of nausea. "Oh dear God! Please stop this shit," she whimpered between heaves. He lifted his hand to touch her, she glared at him over the rim of her bowl. "Touch me and lose a fucking hand, Puckerman." He backed off and she heaved again. Nothing was actually coming up, for that she was grateful, but the dry heaving sucked too.

"Dance baby!" They both looked up at Artie's voice. "God I love my girlfriend. So hot. You are so hot." This was followed closely by a loud crash and Rachel screaming, "Kiss me, lover boy."

Lauren arched her eyebrow as curiosity got the better of her, using the wall to help her stand. Puck stood with her and together they walked [she wobbled in a bad ass manner, mind you] toward the kitchen. Once they reached the door they both stopped. Brittany was standing on the table dancing in a seductive way in front of Artie, her shirt half off and Artie's hat slightly tilted on her head, while he moved in his chair. Santana was holding onto Sam, her lips locked on his. Quinn stood in the corner holding a red plastic cup in her hand, watching with a look of sadness. Mike, Mercedes and Tina were singing Chumbawmba's Tubthumping while sharing a bottle of Jack. Kurt and Finn were watching in horror as Rachel laid a messy kiss on Blaine's mouth- chin, holding her wine cooler bottle loosely in her hand, her other hand on his ass. On the floor at their feet was another bottle, mashed to hell and back. Rachel and Blaine pulled apart and she turned to the side, vomiting all over the kitchen floor. Lauren took it all in then turned to Puck.

"I want my bowl."

He nodded, a slightly disturbed look on his face, "I think I want one too."

=-0-=

_Prom was six weeks away. _

_The stress of finding/securing a date overshadowed the gossip mill. For a good week no one really talked about Lauren and Puck or Sam and Santana or Quinn's not quite a relationship with Finn. The only mild spark of interest happened when it was rumored that Lauren didn't show up for school one day because of morning sickness. Someone- no one knew who, because they somehow managed to post anonymously - posted on the Facebook wall that Lauren was seen looking very green one day. The comments underneath it were that she must be pregnant because of Puck's track record and the fact that anyone that had as much sex as he did, had to have multiple pregnancy scares. That piece of gossip held up for a week, then fizzled after Jacob commented to the person that his sources had confirmed she was not pregnant- instead she was hungover. All the Glee club kids were...with the exception of Finn. _

_After that the prom panic set in and no one really paid attention to the geeks of Glee club. Campaigning started for prom king and queen. Some thought it would go to Quinn and Finn. He was the star quarterback that led the team to the first winning record in – well ever. Others jokingly whispered that it could be Puck and Lauren. They were the couple people talked about the most. Sam and Santana were mentioned as well. _

_In six weeks time everyone would find out. The bets were being placed. Math nerd Kyle was the go-to guy to get in on it. Gambling on school grounds under Figgins nose was epic!_

=-0-=


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow  
**Feedback:** Please and thank you  
**A/N:** I'd love to hear what you think... Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

=-0-=

Chapter 4

=-0-=

Someone was going to die. It had to be done. It just did. Nothing could stop this death. It wouldn't be a merciful killing either. This offense didn't call for that. It wouldn't be a fast, painless demise either. Oh no. This deserved something else. It deserved a slow painful one with lots of torture. And as soon as she found out who sent him the link, she was going to crush the toad with her bare hands. She grinned as the show _A 1000 Ways to Die_ jumped into her head. Lauren recalled some of her favorites to use on the creep.

Until then, though, she was forced to sit there while Puck watched a six year old her dressed in a poodle skirt sing "Rock Around the Clock" while another kid held a paper clock behind her and the rest of the first graders sang back-up. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed next to him. She knew she could take the laptop away, throw it out the window, but really that wouldn't stop him from seeing...that. She shut her eyes tightly and prayed that maybe what was coming next would be cut off. She remembered that night way too clearly. After the first verse, young Lauren Zizes, then so sweet and naïve and just plain stupid, did the unthinkable...

Puck started laughing, he attempted to smother the sound, but she heard it. Her fists curled. Oh this person, whoever they were, was so going to DIE! Lauren opened her eyes, catching the tail end of what she hoped to avoid. The young girl on the screen was still dancing the jitterbug with a young kid she didn't even remember. Puck looked at her, mirth in his eyes. She took a deep breath trying not to react. He looked back at the screen and her younger self continued to sing. At that time in her life, she was what most would call, chubby. Her cheeks were round and full, but she wasn't huge. The Lauren back then wasn't one to rock the boat, that part of her personality came later and she embraced it. She welcomed the name bad ass. She found herself in it. Puck liked it about her. Seeing this, she wondered how much of his opinion about her would change.

Moving quickly, she snatched the computer out of his hands and slammed it shut, "Okay enough of that."

"Oh come on," he reached for it, "Let me see the rest. You were cute."

"I was cute? God, Puckerman, you suck sometimes! And fuck no," she exclaimed. "You've seen enough. You shouldn't have seen any of it." Her insides were turning and she really wanted to punch something, or really someone. "I'm going to find out who sent that link and murder them. I can't believe someone sent it to you. What the hell?"

Puck looked off to the side for a second and her eyes narrowed. It was a feeling, deep and gnawing. He was keeping something from her. Her eyebrow arched and she moved toward him, ready to choke him if it came to that. Killing him would suck. Lauren refused to think of the "L" word. As far as she'd go was that she liked him a lot. Enjoyed spending time with him. And she was just getting used to having him around plus she loved all the looks of jealousy she got when she walked in the halls with him. God seeing those anorexic barbies frown at the fact that _Noah fucking Puckerman_ wanted to be with her, it was like the best thing ever!

Maybe it was one of those damn walking sticks. Or Santana...no, she knew Santana liked to start shit, but doing that much work seemed out of character for her. No the person that would now and forever be known as "_Dead man walking_" had to be someone with computer knowledge and at least some knowledge of her past. That narrowed down the list quite a bit, today after she left Puck's she'd start brainstorming...

He moved closer to her and she waited. "Ah, babe, listen," he met her eyes and she knew she wasn't going to like what came next. "That link wasn't sent just to me. It went to the whole school."

Cold icy water flooded her veins. She flipped open the computer and looked at the email. Sure enough it was a mass email. It was sent to everyone at the school, including some faculty members. The levels of her anger were easy to follow:

Level 1- annoyance: this might get you a shoulder bump or a glare, nothing too serious.

Level 2: mildly ticked off: depending on the situation this could lead to a punch or a well placed wicked barb that would send you crying to your mommy.

Level 3: Pissed- this will lead to fighting and possibly a stay in the hospital.

Level 4: Blind Rage- Hope you won't miss your arm, because it's about to be RIPPED off.

And finally level 5: Calm- before- the- storm rage: This was, is and forever will be the worst. It rarely comes out to play and when it does- there will be blood and destruction.

Lauren looked at Puck and smiled. His eyes widened just a touch. She went to walk around him, "Excuse me, I have someone I need to kill." He grabbed her hand before she could move very far. "Puckerman, I would advise you remove your hand or lose it. Now isn't a good time to mess with me."

Whether it was bravery or stupidity, she didn't know, but Puck refused to remove his hand from her arm. In fact he went a step further and placed his other hand on her neck, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. It was oddly calming, but didn't stop her from wanting sweet revenge.

"I love it when you get all '_I'm going to kick some ass_'," Lauren felt the anger start to ebb away as he got closer. Damn him! Fucker. "I especially like the way your eyes flash. Makes me want to do things that aren't legal."

She turned her head at the last second, backing away. He wasn't going to derail her plans of death and destruction damn it. At least not with the promise of hot sex. They could do that later. No, she would need something more. "You want to get with this," she ran her hand down her side with a small smirk. "Then show me something."

"What kind of something," he said haltingly.

"Something like that damn video," she moved to the bed. "Show me something that you've never showed anyone before. Something that embarrasses you." Lauren arched her left eyebrow in a challenge. "I dare you."

One thing about being a bad ass is one can never back down from a challenge, even if it will only lead to harassing later on. Puck knew this, Lauren knew he knew this. The tug- a- war he was facing was so amusing she almost, _almost, _forgot about her desire to kill. Finally he sighed, hanging his head in defeat. She nearly grinned in anticipation. He walked toward his closet, pausing for a second then opened it up. He bent low, she tilted her head, enjoying the view, he had a nice ass, and began digging for something. Lauren waited patiently for whatever he was going to reveal to her.

Puck stood holding something behind his back. She moved to see around him, but he blocked her at every turn. "If I show you this, it never leaves this room." She nodded. He sighed and pulled the stuffed animal from behind his back.

"An ALF doll," Lauren grinned at the toy. "Oh Puckerman, you still have an ALF doll. This is awesome!"

"Hey, ALF was bad ass," he defended.

She stood and took his face in her hands, "Not as embarrassing as that video, but you're cute."

"Cute," he questioned, dropping the toy on the floor and walking them backwards. "I'm not cute."

"And what are you, Puckerman," she said angling her head to the side as he kissed down her neck.

"Why don't I show you, babe."

And that's what he did. That is until his mother walked in, stopping them before the fun stuff started.

=-0-=

_Who sent it? _

_That was the question on everyone's mind. Who would be brave (Jim- a wrestler on Lauren's team- told everyone that brave wasn't the right word, stupid was, because she was going to kill the person) enough to send that email out? Lindsey whispered to Mark- who commented to Jeremy- that she thought it was an ex. Only an ex could be that vicious. She knew this of course because of her own ex-boyfriend problems. Damn Andy. He was so gonna pay for dumping her! Jeremy decided to warn Andy- in his second period class. That chick was freaking crazy. Like Charlie Sheen crazy._

_It didn't take long for the video to go viral. It was everywhere and all the students knew that could only mean one thing for the person that sent it out- there was going to be a funeral. Some were excited about the prospect of Lauren killing someone. Hell that pool has been around for two years. So far no death, but now..._

_When Remy- a basketball player- said to Cameron- another player- who told Camille- a girl he thinks is hot for a drama geek- that he hoped whoever it was that sent the link got a medal before she killed them. Because it was wicked awesome. Dude has balls...for a little while anyway._

_Quinn was asked if she watched the video between third period and lunch. She arched her brow and leveled the other girls with a bitch stare then did her patented half smile. (The girls so wanted to learn how she did that) She flipped her hair and hissed, she thought Lauren was awesome in it and anyone that thinks otherwise were idiots. _

_The coconut slushie she got in the face was shocking...only because Lauren saw it and put the guy in a head lock before he could run. There was a look shared between the two girls... Were they friends? When did that happen? _

_Another mystery to solve. But first..._

_Who sent the link?_

=-0-=

Working at Breadstix sucked. Working at Breadstix so he could pay for prom was borderline lame. Working at Breadstix so he could surprise his girlfriend was alright he guessed. Working at Breadstix so that his mother could pay the rent on time was necessary. Puck sighed, tossing another dirty dish into the tray for the washer. He hated his job and couldn't wait for summer so that he could start up his pool cleaning business again. At least then he could get some sun while he got paid. He looked up when he realized that his first thought wasn't of the hot chicks he could see. Shit. Lauren was doing a number on him.

Grimacing he shoved another plate and bowl into the machine, turning it on high and letting it do the work while he moved to the next tray of nasty dishes. Did he mention this job sucked? He looked up at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief. Break time couldn't come any quicker for him. He untied his apron and took off his hair net (it was mandatory he wear the fucking things- another reason to wish the place would burn down) and threw them over the side of the empty sink. Looking around him, he nodded toward Christian- a fellow Breadstix slave- and then toward the clock. "Break," he simply said. Christian shrugged, turning up the music on his I-pod.

Puck walked out the back door and headed toward his truck. He pulled out his cell phone, checking to see if anyone had called. He flipped through the texts from Artie asking about Prom plans. Were they going to all chip in for a limo? Puck climbed into the cab of his truck before texting his wheelchair-bound friend back: _Maybe_. Finn sent him a text about maybe going out for the baseball team. Since last year's basketball experience wasn't that great. Did he want to try out too? Puck rolled his eyes, but responded with a: _Don't know yet. I'll get back to you._

The next message waiting for him made him smirk and look around him. Lauren sent him a single word text: _Tomorrow_. He didn't need her to say anything more. Her parents were going out of town tomorrow night (Friday) and wouldn't be back until Sunday morning. An entire weekend of no parents. And that couldn't be anything less than awesome. Of course they were throwing the expected party, but after that...Puck quickly replied: _Can't wait_.

And he couldn't. It's been almost two and a half weeks since they've been together. Between his work, her wrestling, school, school work (once again her, because he didn't give a rat's ass, although he has been doing better in his classes lately, she's given him reasons to achieve if you know what he means) and parents, it's been a rather dry period for them. Which meant blue ball hell had returned with a vengeance and his hand was getting quite a work out.

He slid the cell back into his pocket and put his keys in the ignition to play the radio. He only had ten more minutes before he had to return to that hell hole. Turning the dial to his favorite station, Puck leaned his head back and let the sounds of Led Zeppelin fill the cab. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the knock on the passenger side window. He leaned over and pulled the lock up so she could climb in. Quinn grimaced at the wrappers on the floor, before sighing and getting in.

"I called," she said in her quiet way. "They said you were on your break, so I decided to come over and give you this."

She held out an envelope and waited for him to take it. He looked at the name in the corner, trying to decide if he wanted to see what was inside or not. The war between his heart and his mind settled and he took the paper from her extended hand. With shaking fingers he pulled out the contents and sighed. "She looks good."

Quinn nodded, "Happy." She turned to look out the front window. "She looks happy."

"You okay," Puck asked because he wasn't sure he was.

"Actually yeah," her smile was sad but not fake. "I am. Our daughter is happy and healthy and I know I made the right decision." She tucked some hair behind her ear and sighed, "I guess this past year, I've wondered if I did or not. Now I don't have to." Pausing, she turned to face him, "How are you?"

"I know we made the right choice," he acknowledged, "but..." He let the statement hang there.

Quinn nodded again, "Yeah. I know." They sat in silence for a moment half listening to the radio, half listening to the thoughts in their head. She was the one to break the quiet. "How are things with Lauren?"

He shrugged. Puck didn't want to lie to her, but he honestly didn't know. Things were good, but both were careful to keep things as simple as they could. They didn't talk about feelings much. Neither of them was that type of person. They just enjoyed the fun and dealt with the rest as it came. He knew Quinn was waiting so he said the only thing he could, "We're just having fun."

She arched her brow, "Puck I've known you for a lot time. I know when you are just having fun with a girl." She shook her head. "But I guess that's all you're willing to allow yourself right now." Quinn reached for the handle of the truck. "See you tomorrow, Puck."

He waited until she climbed out of the truck before calling out, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Lauren is different than your normal girl, in more ways than one," she smiled a knowing grin, "And I think she's actually making you better because of it."

"I'm not changing for her," he exclaimed, annoyed by the thought. "I'm not changing at all. I'm still me. No girl is going to make me any different."

"Are you sure about that," was Quinn's parting remark before she left him alone in his truck.

Puck looked at the clock on his radio and frowned. It was time for him to return to work. He thought about blowing it off. It wasn't like he hasn't blown off work before...not recently, but... He slammed his hands down on the steering wheel and ripped his keys out of the ignition. Her words rang in his head as he tied the apron back on and pushed the hair net onto his head. It made him extremely unpleasant to work with for the rest of the night.

=-0-=

_Prom!_

_Time was ticking down. Three weeks and counting. The panic that was starting before was at a fever pitch now. No one really wanted to go alone and the number of available (and worthwhile) dates was shrinking fast._

_Tickets were being sold. At 30 dollars a guest. Michael groused to his best friend Kenny that his girlfriend better give it up, because this shit was expensive! Kenny agreed with the statement- both knew they weren't getting any._

_Dresses and tuxes were the talk of the school. Girls brought in the latest copies of Sixteen and Cosmo Girl to show off what their dresses looked like or to show off what they hoped to find. _

_The theme was set: Cruising on the Sea of Love._

_Everyone thought it was a lame theme- most of the students refused to acknowledge the theme existed- to them it was a night to break all the rules-, but Figgins loved it so it stuck. _

_Sally saw Lauren, Mercedes, Tina and Quinn trying on dresses at the mall on Thursday night while she was rushing to find the perfect pair a shoes to match her amazing deep blue dress. She was so going to be prom queen! She immediately texted everyone in her phone a picture. This was becoming stranger by the minute. First Puck and Lauren start dating and now she's hanging out with the Glee geeks. What was the world coming too? Worse yet, was- wait- were they laughing? Sally decided that she needed to go to the hospital. She had obviously gotten hit on the head or something..._

_The picture was posted to the Facebook page right away. _

_And the world slipped a little further off it's axis._

=-0-=

* * *

Replies to reviews I can't send emails to:

**JCag75**: Thank you so much for reviewing and for the kind words. I'm so happy that you are enjoying the story... and I agree, Puck is definitely the girl in the relationship. *g*  
**()**: Thanks for the review!  
**shay**: I love this ship too. Luck is so special. They really make me smile. :)

Thanks to everyone that has been reading this story. And thanks to everyone that reviewed. You all rock!


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow  
**A/N:** I'd love to hear what you think... Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

* * *

Thank you to all of you that have read this story. And a special thank you to all that have reviewed. *g*

* * *

=-0-=

Lauren wasn't around her locker when he arrived at school right before the late bell the next day. He timed it like that. He wanted to see her, but he didn't want to do it with the whole school watching. It was getting damn annoying seeing all those mother fuckers text and take pictures whenever they were together. Losers. Plus too many things were swimming in his head and he couldn't seem to stop them. This over thinking shit wasn't worth it. He liked it better when he could coast on sex appeal and a few well placed insults, followed by some half-ass compliments. Life was so much easier back then. Now he thought about shit. It just wasn't right, man!

They only shared one class together. English Lit. She never sat with him, the seating chart from the beginning of the semester made sure of that, plus Lauren liked her space. She told him that she enjoyed not having to worry about him molesting her under the table during class. That was for the janitor's closet and other more comfortable places- that eliminated his truck as they found out the night of the movie. They've gotten creative...not recently, but they have before.

Puck kept his head down during that class. Only looking up at her once. She didn't seem to notice his lack of staring because she was too busy scowling at their reading assignment. Lauren wasn't a big fan of _Romeo and Juliet_. She called it the biggest waste of paper in the fucking world and was extremely opinionated about the lead characters. Fucking selfish morons, that's what she called them. But Ms. Loveless was a _huge_ fan of the play [and of Shakespeare in general] and forced Lauren to read it or face an F for the assignment. The only reason Lauren backed down was because of wrestling- he knew that for a fact. All he had to do was watch the way her eyes flashed to know how pissed she truly was.

After class she waited for him outside the door, pulling him aside when he exited. Her hands gently cupped his face and she kissed him lightly on the lips. His eyebrow shot up at the display. He wasn't used to her being so forward in public- in private on the other hand... Puck moved his mouth against hers, his body warming a little at the feel of her pressed against him. Lauren opened her eyes slowly as they parted and grinned at him.

"See you later, Puckerman," the left side of her mouth slid up in a sassy smile. She leaned in, whispering in his ear, "The house will be empty by six. The rents are leaving at five-thirty."

Before he could properly respond she was already walking down the hallway toward her next class, throwing her arms up at a geek that looked at her too long- the kid jumped back quickly. He shook his head, grinning to himself for the first time all day. At least he had something to look forward to.

Now he was in the last class of the day. Mr. Shue stood in front of the dry erase board, flipping a marker in his hand as he pronounced the word in Spanish the class was supposed to repeat. He just mouthed the words along with the rest of the students and scribbled small pictures in the corners of his notebook. He had no desire to be in this class today. Hell he had no desire to be in this fucking school anymore, but he was here. A body in a seat. Taking up space. His mind was no where near the William McKinley High property though. It was miles away. It was in his room where the pictures of his daughter were and the letter he never expected to get was laying unopened.

Finn nudged him under the table, nodding toward Mr. Shue. Puck sighed and leaned back, feigning as much interest in the subject matter as he could. All he wanted was for the class to end so he could get the hell out of there. Time seemed to be his enemy though. If he didn't know better he would swear it was moving backwards. Finally, by the grace of God or Allah or Satan or whoever- the bell rang, freeing him from the hell hole known as high school. He walked beside Finn, talking about the baseball tryouts which were set to begin at the start of the next week.

"So you think you're going to," his best friend asked as he pushed his Spanish book into his backpack.

"I don't know, man," Puck looked down the hall where Artie was talking with Tina, Mercedes and Mike. "I miss football. I miss hitting the shit out of people. Baseball doesn't really let you get physical." He nodded to Artie, who waved back. "If I'm going to play a sport, I want to cause someone pain and look good doing it."

"No wonder you and Lauren Zizes work so well," Finn commented under his breath.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Puck was getting seriously pissed with all this talk about him and Lauren.

Finn's eyes widened, "Nothing." He stepped in front of Puck and held up his hand. "What the hell is wrong with you today?"

He swallowed his anger as much as possible and shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. Just getting fucking tired of all the rumors and shit flying around the school."

"You can't be surprised by it all," Finn shrugged. "You dating Lauren wasn't exactly a move most saw coming."

"Maybe," he conceded. "But it's been months, can't they find something else to talk about?"

Finn didn't answer him. Not that he expected a real answer. On the ride home he felt his stomach start to tighten. He knew his mother was waiting for him to open the fucking letter, but he didn't even want to touch it. The bastard hasn't been in there lives for almost seven years, what the fuck could he want now? Pulling his truck into the drive, he opened the door and immediately headed to his room after he called out to his mother.

Puck picked up the letter, holding it in his hand, testing the weight. It was pretty thick for just a quick note. But he guessed seven years of no contact gave the man a lot of stuff to write about. Using the tip of his thumb nail he picked at the seal until it opened and he slid his finger across the top. He took a moment to catch his breath. The war of emotions going on in his head were giving him a migraine.

Taking one more breath, he took the thick paper out of the envelope and read the contents quickly. His blood pressure rose with each word and he wanted to punch the wall. All he saw was red.

=-0-=

_It was so normal. A couple kissing in the hall. They've all done it. But seeing Lauren and Puck do it was...just plain weird! _

_It made all the gossip about them seem unnecessary. Because if they did normal stuff like kiss between classes, then maybe their relationship was normal too. That was a notion most couldn't wrap their head around. And so they fought against it. No one spoke of the moment when Puck and Lauren looked like two teens in love instead of some abnormal pairing the student body liked to believe they were._

_It was wiped from their memories. A clean slated replaced it. What got spread around school instead was that Artie was overheard telling Tina, Mercedes and Mike that the limo for Prom was on. Puck had texted him the night before after work to tell him, he was in. _

_Puck was spending money on a limo? Dear God what was the world coming to?_

=-0-=

"It's fucking annoying," Lauren commented to Quinn as they walked through the mall for the fifth time in the past two weeks.

How they became friends, neither knew. And neither questioned it too closely. It wasn't like they did each other's hair or anything like that. The quasi-friendship started one day after Glee practice when the ex-cheerio came up to her and asked if she wanted to go shopping or something. It had taken the wrestler a couple minutes before she agreed. Queen bees like Quinn didn't normally talk to her, let alone ask her to shop. The first day was awkward at first. Getting a conversation started wasn't the easiest thing to do. It wasn't until Jacob showed up at their table in the food court and hit on Quinn in the most disgusting way possible that a bond started to form. The combination of Quinn's acid tongue and Lauren's bad ass-ness had the boy whimpering.

After that moment, it got easier to talk to her. She found the ex-cheerleader to be different away from Santana. Lauren was shocked to find that she really liked her. Liked having her as a friend. Of course that was a thought she kept to herself.

"I know," Quinn said with a roll of her eyes, "I remember what it was like being on the other side of those wonderful high school rumors. But at least you aren't the girl that got knocked up by her boyfriend's best friend. That was a fun time."

Lauren looked at her out of the corner of her eye. She rolled the question around in her head, trying to decide if she wanted to ask it. The answer came to her quickly. No. She didn't. Not just because the question was rather personal, which she normally wouldn't give a fuck about, but like she said earlier, she liked Quinn- but also because it really wasn't a question she should ask Quinn. It was one to ask Puck. And that meant it would never get asked.

Pushing her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose, Lauren laughed. "Well at least we're damn entertaining."

"Damn straight," Quinn grinned. Nodding her blonde head toward the small accessories store in the corner, she said, "I need a necklace to match my dress. Let's go in there."

She nodded and together they walked into the tiny shop in search of the perfect necklace.

=-0-=

_It was undeniable now. Pictures have been posted by multiple sources from every phone imaginable. Lauren and Quinn were friends. They were like shopping buddies or something. Just the idea alone have sent some kids seeking mediation. There was obviously something in the water or in the school lunch. They were hallucinating. It was warped! _

_Heather asked Leo- her date to the prom- who in turned joking questioned his friend, James- why must the Apocalypse start now so close to Prom? It was an interesting question. They were close to 2012. Maybe the Mayan's (and all the "end- of- the- world" zealous people) were right. _

_They were all going to die!_

_Rachel over heard this while she was at the coffee shop with Kurt- some in the school really missed him- his fashion choices were always amusing, Mercedes and some other guy no one knew. Rachel primly told the gossipers to mind their own business and that the world wasn't coming to an end. She hadn't made her Broadway debut yet. That would definitely happen before the hell-fire rained down. _

_Most of the people had hot coffee and even they weren't cruel enough to dump that on the girl's head...Kyle- a football player- on the other hand- had an iced Mocha Grande. He popped the lid before she could blink and dumped the entire drink on her. The students left laughing while Rachel stuttered._

_The boy no one knew turned to Kurt and asked, does this happen often?_

_Kurt held his cup of hot coffee next to his lips as he responded, only to Rachel. _

=-0-=

No one would call her a romantic. To her face or otherwise. She didn't see the point in all that crap. Romance and so called romantic gestures were just a means to an end. Say nice things- get your way. Buy flowers or candy- make up for some misdeed. It was all a show. Smoke and mirrors, slight of hand. Misdirection. And she hated the fake-ness of it. It wasn't what she wanted because it always led to questions. It made her suspicious of everything. And that's why she didn't trust this.

Puck stood on her front door step with a box of candy (not the crappy shit he brought her for Valentine's day- but the good stuff) and a single red rose. Lauren looked at the offerings then at Puck and back to the flower and candy. Her bullshit meter started ticking in her head and she narrowed her eyes at him. If people thought she wasn't a romantic, they knew he wasn't. This display didn't fit who they were and what their relationship was about. It wasn't them at all. It was Sam when he was with Quinn or Mike with Tina. And she couldn't help but be wary of it. Crossing her arms over her chest she leaned against the door and arched her brow, "What did you do?"

He grimaced in annoyance, straightening his spine and putting on his best bitch face. "Can't a guy bring the girl he's about to spend the weekend with a surprise?"

"A guy can, yes and probably should if he wants a prayer in hell of getting some," she acknowledged. "But you, you don't. It's not your style Puckerman. You only do things like this when you've done something stupid, you want something or want to get in a girl's pants. That is why you did all that stuff during Valentine's week, you wanted me to get with you. So," Lauren tilted her head and asked again, "What did you do?"

"For fuck's sake," he shoved the items at her, forcing her to take them before they dropped to the ground and stomped into her house with his overnight bag on his shoulder. "I haven't done anything." He dropped the bag on the floor next to the stairs and turned to face her. "You know, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, Zizes."

She placed the candies- oh holy shit, he sprung for the pure milk chocolate with caramel filling ones. Damn him- and flower- which actually smelled amazing- on the table next to the door before shutting it. Her anger was starting to build- because he just didn't do this!- and her bullshit meter was blinking red. Something wasn't right and she was determined to find out what it was. Meeting his eyes, she waited ten seconds before responding. "I'll take that as a compliment." She smirked at him then wiped the expression away. "It still doesn't explain those," she pointed to the table where the gifts lay. "So start being up front with me or go the fuck home and enjoy a weekend free of all this," she waved her hand across her body. "Because I can handle myself just fine. I don't need you."

Puck's eyes glazed over for a second and she knew he was imagining her "handling herself". The corners of his mouth lifted and he nodded his head slightly, obviously quite happy with the pictures in his mind. Lauren was honestly confused if she should be turned on by the fact that _he_ was turned on by the thought of her pleasuring herself or completely freaked out. Deciding to embrace the idea that anything relating to her being naked and moaning was a turn on for him, she bit back a smile. There were worse things than having a boyfriend think you're hotter than the seventh ring of hell. Shaking her head, Lauren forced herself to stay annoyed. No getting soft on him just because she thought he was sexy and wanted to use his body to relieve some tension.

Yes she can handle herself but it was more fun with him. Not that she was going to let him know that. She had to act like she didn't need him for anything. That was another part of who they were. They could walk away from this and be fine. Her heart gave a small jolt at the thought and she frowned. What the hell was that? Heartburn. It had to be heartburn. She knew she shouldn't have eaten that chili- cheese -dog for a snack while walking around the food court with Quinn. Lauren shook the unease from her head once she realized he was talking.

"...I haven't done a damn thing," he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. Oh bitch face was back! "I was trying to be nice."

"Okay but why?" She wouldn't let this go. Not until it made sense to her.

"Fuck," he muttered. "Why is it so fucking hard to believe that I just decided to buy you something?" Puck met her stare and refused to break it. "I've had a shitty day and I thought maybe giving you some chocolate would put you in a good mood and in turn you would put me in one."

And now it made sense. Romantic gestures were always given so that the giver could get something. At least that hadn't changed. Lauren relaxed a little. If he did this so she would give it up a little easier, well that was understandable and fit with who he was and who they were. That rationale was...pure Puck. She reached out and took the candies from the table, popping the lid and looking inside at all the different shapes, trying to decide which to eat first. Plucking a rectangular one from the top left corner, she bit into it savoring the creamy nature of the caramel and the sharp snap of the hard chocolate shell. Her eyes closed of their own accord as she chewed slowly, licking her fingers as she finished.

Opening her eyes back up, Lauren looked into his- they were dark and heavy lidded. Sexy bedroom eyes. The sweet orbs promised to do naughty and indecent stuff to her body. The look alone sent a shiver down her spine, not to mention, it heated up her blood, spreading the lust through her like a freight-train speeding down the track. She arched her eyebrow in question. "Why was your day so bad? Your hair net mess up your Mohawk? Did the nerd you decided to throw in the dumpster kick you in the nuts?"

Puck's mouth pulled as if he swallowed something sour. He looked away for a brief moment, his hand unconsciously going to his pocket. "No reason."

For the first time ever in their short (but fucking intense) relationship, she didn't press him. Something inside of her told her not to do it. That whatever it was that happened, he had to tell her on his own. Lauren hated waiting, but she was kinda a bitch about the candy and the flower, so she decided to give him this one. _This_ one. She wasn't about to let him slide all the time. Moving closer to him, she picked another chocolate from the box and held it out for him. He closed his lips around it, sucking on her fingers as he did. Her pulse jumped when he flicked his tongue back and forth across the digits that held the candy, licking them clean.

"So," Lauren leaned into him. "What did you have in mind for tonight?"

"Well we could start here," he curled his hand into the material of her shirt and pulled her to him, tangling his other hand in her hair. Their lips met in the middle, each needing the connection that comes from being together. Her arms wrapped around him, sliding one hand up his back and the other one down to his ass. The simmering in her veins continued to grow as the want consumed her. Puck played with the edge of her shirt, lifting it slightly to touch her skin, brushing his fingers up and down, inching higher with each stroke. Every atom in her body concentrated on his fingers. Burning her, making her want more. They broke the kiss slowly, savoring even the last ghost of a touch. He half smiled at her, his eyes hooded, proof of his desire hard between them. "And see where it goes from there, Zizes."

"Sounds," she licked her lips, "like a good plan Puckerman." Lauren leaned in again, but was stopped by the doorbell ringing. They both looked at the door in annoyance. "Who is it?"

"Pizza," a young voice called out. She reluctantly walked away from Puck and pulled the money out of her back pocket before opening the door to reveal a pimply teen with braces holding an extra large pizza. The other boy's eyes grew large when he saw who was at the door and who was behind her. "17.89," his voice cracked.

Lauren grabbed the pizza and slapped the twenty into his hand with a smirk, "Keep the change." Shifting the box in her hand, she arched her brow. He quickly scurried away. She shut the door and looked at Puck. "How long before it's all around the school that you're here?"

He shrugged. "Five, ten minutes."

She sighed. She was getting so sick of this shit. Didn't these idiots have something better to do than talk about them? Holding up the box, she nodded toward the living room. "Hungry?"

"I guess," his bitch face was back once again. "But we aren't finished."

"Whatever, Puckerman," she said. Inside though she agreed wholeheartedly.

=-0-=

_Pizza guy, Daniel- called Martin- his gamer friend- who texted- Lesley- his only girl friend- who told her sister (her much more popular sister) Candace- who immediately mass tweeted everyone she knew- which was retweeted by many of them- that Puck was at Lauren's house and everyone knew that Lauren's parents were out of town. Parents leaving was always a hot topic. That usually meant a rocking house party! _

_The Facebook page was buzzing. Two bad asses alone for an entire weekend- and Daniel said he had briefly seen an overnight bag on the floor- before he nearly peed himself at Lauren's glare-... jealousy reigned. Guys that weren't getting any were jealous of the fact that Puck was like a sex Jedi. The guy could always find someone to sleep with. Lucky bastard. The girls were jealous of the fact that this meant Lauren really was having sex with Noah Puckerman. God he was so hot!_

_2011 has been such a cluster-fuck for the students of William McKinley High! The survivalist of the school started making plans. It was time to come to terms with the fact, they were all going to die. The sun was going to explode or something._

_James told his girlfriend, Serena, that and added, she didn't want to die a virgin, right? Serena threw her chili fries in his lap. What a freaking jerk, she muttered as she left._

=-0-=

* * *

Replies to reviewers:

**Abril**: Thank you so much for reviewing. I really hope you like this chapter! 

* * *

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow  
**A/N:** I'd love to hear what you think... Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

=-0-=

The last of the "guests", mostly they were fucking party crashers, left around two when someone called the cops- it was her- to report a lame ass party. Once the police started to arrive, some kids freaked, one jumped over her backyard fence and others quickly got into their cars. She was lucky none of the popo entered the house. With all the bottles, she would have surely been arrested. Which would have put a damper on the rest of her weekend plans. Namely tying Puck to the bed and screwing his brains out his ears- or something to that effect.

Lauren looked around her house, surveying all the damage done to it by the party. Beer bottles, plastic cups, a bra- oh fuck no, that's just wrong-, and some other debris was tossed this way and that. She was sure while cleaning she would find other things she didn't see at first glance. Her head was pounding from the music and the beer, but she wasn't nearly as drunk this time as she was during the last party. That was one lesson she was sure to take to her grave. Quinn stood next to her, her hands resting on her hips, "I could help clean up."

She shook her head, "I'm not touching this shit right now. And besides don't you have something better to do than help clean Ohio's version of hurricane Ivan?" Her friend looked to the side where Finn was sitting with Puck. "Beauty Pageant Barbie?"

"Not really," came the reply. "Things are a little confusing right now."

"What's confusing," Lauren asked moving to sit on the first step of her staircase. Quinn leaned against the railing. "You want him. He wants you. Both of you are unattached. You're fucking hot. He's cute, I guess. Evans has moved on, it's your turn."

"Kinda simplistic, Zizes," Quinn arched her perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "There is still Rachel to think of and even though Sam has moved on, I'm sure it would hurt him to see me with the guy I cheated on him with."

"Berry needs to grow a pair," the brunette said with a roll of her eyes. "She made the move that broke them up and frankly that was months ago. The chick needs to move on. As for Sam, he didn't really consider your feelings when he started hooking up with your frienemy." Lauren stood, looking at her friend. "Listen I don't do the whole give advice thing, I don't really care that damn much to do it, but I like you and I'm going to tell you how I see it. High school is shit. People put way too much stock in how other people see them when in four years, hardly anyone will give a fuck. The relationships during this time won't last for the most part and you're only a teenager once. Make the stupid mistakes now." She sighed. "If you want Finn and he wants you, hiding that fact won't change it. Berry will get over it, some poor schmuck will help her. And Sam will just have to deal. Stopping your life for them isn't going to help anyone."

Quinn's mouth quirked up, "For someone that doesn't give a shit. You sure are smart about this stuff."

"I went through a teen romance stage," Lauren smirked. "And having a parent that's a psychiatrist doesn't help matters. My mom was doing the, talk about your feelings stuff long before Dr. Drew." Quinn laughed. "Of course after I started wrestling she stopped. Figured I'd work out my feelings on the mat." She smirked. "She wasn't wrong."

Finn and Puck walked up behind them and Finn rocked on his heels. "Ready to go?" Quinn nodded, smiling a little at Lauren before turning to leave. Finn bumped fists with Puck. "See you tomorrow, dude. Need to get ready for tryouts." Lauren arched her brow. "Bye...uh... bye Lauren," once Finn left the house, Lauren closed and locked the door behind him.

"I think your best friend is scared of me," she said, amusement in her voice. Freaking people out was one of her favorite things to do and when that somebody was captain of the football team, best friend's with her boyfriend and possible bed mate of _her_ sorta-kinda best friend, well that was fucking awesome! "What a wuss."

"Most guys are scared of you, Zizes," he commented and she nodded her head with a soft, 'That's true.' "And you wouldn't have it any other way. You like being a bad ass too much."

"Are you scared of me, Puckerman," she asked, her lips curling a little. "I could bench press you, you know."

"You could do a lot of things to me," he responded with that slight arch of his brow. She rolled her eyes. Of course he would turn this conversation sexual. Not that she was complaining too much. The almost three weeks without sex has been affecting her too. She was starting to wonder if she might be a tiny bit of an addict or maybe she was just addicted to him. Not a thought she really wanted to entertain. Being addicted to Noah Puckerman was a bad idea all the way around. She could handle just craving sex. What teen didn't? At least a little. "So," he moved closer to her. "How about we try some of those things out? You could do some of your wrestling moves on me. I could tackle you to the bed and use my tongue to make you scream."

Her pulse jumped at his words. It took a lot for her not to react. She hated it, but she sometimes blushed at his forwardness. Getting comfortable with her sexual side wasn't as difficult for her as it was for some, but some times she was reminded that he had a lot more experience than she did. Lauren covered her insecurities well, even to herself. Wasn't she just picturing herself tying him to the bed? She's had years of practice doing it. She could even make comments that would turn others the color of ketch-up. It was a well-placed, well-designed cover because she did still wonder sometimes, did she measure up to all those other girls?

These were stupid thoughts she kept to herself and only entertained in the darkest of night- when she was alone- why the fuck were they coming out now? Maybe it was because now it was really real. No one would interrupt them. No one would bother them unless they wanted them too. It was just them, in her house for the weekend. The sky was the limit. They could do anything... It was idiotic to even slightly worry. Puck didn't seem unhappy with her skill- in fact he seemed almost grumpy every time they had to stop- and she wasn't about to let on she was concerned about it. It was one of the many things that were locked deep inside of her. Shaking those thoughts off, she pursed her lips and curled her hand around his neck, scratching lightly at his scalp, trying to find that Lauren from a few moments ago.

"I could show you some things," she purred, feeling her confidence start to increase. He was hard and hot against her thigh and they hadn't even done anything yet. That stupid fucking girly part of her brain needed to shut the fuck up. "But I don't think you're ready for that, Puckerman. I might break you."

His eyes got heavy lidded and darkened. "Not a bad way to go, babe."

He kissed her hard, making her knees go a little weak. Puck backed her up against the door, pressing them as close together as possible. She gripped his shoulders, digging her nails in a little. Her heart pounded in her ears and blood rushed through her veins. She broke the kiss to get some air. She gulped it in filling her lungs with it then kissed him again. He lifted her left leg against him, rocking his hips into her. The friction was making her light-headed. Oh holy fucking God, how in the hell did she last three weeks without this? He lifted her shirt out of the way, cupping her breasts in his hands.

Pulling away, she moaned against his mouth, "Bedroom."

Puck nodded. She dropped her leg from his hip and led him up the stairs in a hurry. Her body was on fire.

=-0-=

_It was an awesome party. That was the tweet, the blog, the gossip, the whatever. Lauren Zizes could throw a freaking blow out. Hell it was so good the police came! And there was that one guy- Franklin- that jumped over a fence to escape. Mandy heard from Tony- who found out from Mark- that Franklin jumped because he was on the run for shooting a gun at his neighbor. This caused a stir. One of their own shot someone. Holy crap! It was later learned that the gun was actually a BB gun and the neighbor wanted to be shot so he could be part of the next Jackass movie. His auditions were online. Some stuff has even gone viral. It was funny shit. _

_Leena and her boyfriend, Randall, were told by Candace- who got a text about it from Meredith- who thought she heard it from Trent- the cute skater boy- but wasn't sure, she was still a little tipsy- that the person that called the cops was Rachel because she didn't get invited to the party. Everyone that was there knew this wasn't true, Rachel was seen doing body shots off of Brittany- it was the first time most of the school liked the future Broadway star- they should keep her drunk-, but the rumor was awesome. And so it was spread around school. _

_With all the talk about the house party one fact kept getting pushed to the front: Puck was definitely spending the night and possibly the weekend with Lauren. It was known now for sure because- Katie told Susie that she heard- she didn't see because that would mean she went in one of the rooms with a guy that wasn't her boyfriend and she just wouldn't do that- what stop looking!- ahem- anyway- she heard that someone saw Puck's over night bag on the ground in one of the bedrooms. After getting over the shock that her friend was slightly insane, Susie told Hank- who posted it on the Facebook page. _

_It wasn't exactly news. Hours before Daniel broke the news- to his gamer friend- but the news was broke. What made it exciting was the picture that got posted with the status update. It was of Lauren and Puck kissing- ahem – through the bedroom window before the blinds were shut. Roger- a geek that was "friends" with Dave- this meant Roger did Dave's homework in exchange for Dave sometimes saying hello in public- it also meant they were experimenting with things, but no one was supposed to know that part- lived across the street from Lauren and snapped the picture. With Dave's help the image was uploaded and for the night Roger became famous. _

_Catching Finn and Quinn at the only hangout open at two in the morning and was legal for teens to be in- Walmart- some kids asked them about the duo. The former it couple rolled their eyes and Quinn said, that all the gossip about them was a waste. They were happy. What was the big deal? _

_Her sharp blue eyes dared them to come up with something to say. Finn stood behind her nodding his head. He didn't say a word._

_Honestly he didn't have to because... The kids didn't have an answer for that... and no slushies to throw. It was a disappointing encounter all the way around._

=-0-=

Puck reached out trying to find her body. All he found were cold sheets. He lifted his head off the pillow and looked around the room. It felt weird waking up in her house and more importantly in her room, after sex. He never did that. He's never spent the night with any girl. It was always sex, cuddle for the appropriate amount of time and then leave before the mushy shit started. Sometimes it had to do with not wanting to get caught- this was especially true for Lauren's dad, the man could bench press his old ford truck- and sometimes it was his own need to get the fuck away.

He swung his legs over the side of her bed and searched the floor for his boxers. He found them hanging from the edge of her door knob. Interesting. He also saw her bra flung over her lamp. A smirk settled firmly on his lips. Last night did get a little wild. Standing, Puck grabbed the boxers and pulled them on. Opening the door, he walked down the stairs, after taking care of his morning business, in search of his girl. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs he listened. Some 80s rock was playing. Puck grinned as the lyrics became clear. He turned toward where he heard the music coming from.

Coming to a half open door beside the kitchen he pushed against it, climbing down the basement stairs. Lauren stood in front of a television, cursing. "Fucker, I pushed the red button." He leaned against the wall watching her play Guitar Hero. She rocked side to side, singing along with "_Welcome To The Jungle_". "Fuck you, yellow," she hissed as it showed she missed a combination. The song was coming to a close and another hard combo was starting, the words 50 note streak appearing on the screen. He watched her jam out. Her hair swinging back and forth as she head banged to the lyrics.

"You know where you are, you're in the jungle baby. You're gonna die." He started silently laughing at her Axl Rose impersonation. "In the jungle. Welcome to the Jungle. Watch it bring to your shu-n-n-n-n-n knees." She moved her fingers quickly over the buttons, "Watch it bring you to your, It's going to bring you down. Ha!" Puck started walking toward her while she waited for her score. "89 percent?" she exclaimed. "The shit you say, Guitar Hero."

"I thought you did really well," Lauren jumped out of her skin, turned toward him her hand on her chest a second before it was slapping the hell out of his arm. Hard. He was going to have a bruise he was sure of it. "Shit, Zizes! What the hell was that for?"

"For scaring me shitless, asshole. Don't ever sneak up on me like that again," she glared. Leaning down she turned the Wii off. "When did you get up?"

"Could ask you the same thing?"

"I always get up early during wrestling season." she shrugged. "I have a schedule to keep and a weight limit to stay at. I made some coffee if you want any, you'll have to warm it up though."

"Are you going to make me breakfast too?"

"Don't push it, Puckerman," laying the guitar down on a chair she walked up to him. It was sort of awkward in a way. They've never been together in the morning, except at school. He didn't know what to really say. Other than when Quinn stayed with his family during her pregnancy, he's never had a moment like this. And that Quinn thing didn't count. His mother watched them like a hawk watches a baby squirrel, ready to bounce. Lauren sighed, rolling her eyes, "Oh for the love of-" she grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him to her.

Once her lips were on his, he knew exactly what to do. His left hand curled in her hair, running his fingers through the silky strands. His right arm wrapped around her waist pulling her closer. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, humming deeply in her throat. He moaned. Morning sex sounded great right then. Which surprised him a little. Last night they reached a new level in their sexual relationship. Just when he was under the impression Lauren couldn't get any better, she proved him wrong. He thought he wouldn't be able to move, yet here he was thinking of all the things they hadn't done.

There was a couch not far from where they were standing and Puck started moving them towards it. She broke the kiss, shaking her head. "Nope."

He could have sworn he heard her wrong, "Nope?"

"Nope," she pulled back, "as in no, uh-uh, not happening, hell no." She stepped around him, crossing her arms over her chest. "The window for morning sex has closed. I have things to do and you have to get ready for work."

"I don't have to work until," she pointed at the clock over her shoulder and he cursed loudly, "Fuck! It's 12:30 already?"

"Time flies when you've been screwed out of your mind by one fine piece of ass," she smirked.

His eyes wandered down her body, "Fucking yeah it does." He rolled his tongue against his lips and gave her his best, _fuck me now_ smile, "How about a little shower sex? To help me get going." She rolled her eyes, but he saw her cheeks flush a little. The beginnings of a smile ghosted over her lips. "What do you say, Zizes?"

"Go take your shower, Puckerman," she replied flatly. "I have stuff to do and you aren't on my list right now."

"Right now...meaning," he pushed.

"Meaning," she walked up to him and whispered in his ear, "If you're lucky. Tonight might even be wilder than last night." He felt a little light-headed at the images flooding his mind. Damn his girl was going to kill him, but what a way to go. "Now, move your ass. You have to be at work in thirty minutes."

He left the basement still in a fog. Tonight was going to fucking rock!

=-0-=

_So most of the people that were at Lauren's party were hung over the next day, making it a very quiet one for gossip. It was alright though. Anyone who really wondered about the nature of the bizzaro relationship really didn't anymore. They were just going to have to ride the "what the fuck" wave until the end arrived. They just didn't know if the end would be- of the world or just the Lauren and Puck- which was starting to be referred to as Luck in texts because Puck and Lauren just took too damn long to write- relationship._

_Maya- told her cousin Jasmine- who kinda agreed and mentioned it to her friend, Kristy- who posted it on her blog, which was read by some of the most popular people- suck on that Gossip Girl- that it would be sad to see them break-up. As sick and twisted as their relationship is, it at least made for interesting conversation. Hell the school has never been so united in confusion before. It was rather inspiring._

_The rest of the students hung their heads over the toilets and prayed for death. It had to be better than puking up their lungs, right?_

=-0-= 

* * *

Replies to Reviews:

**MJ**: First thank you so much for reading and reviewing. It always makes me smile to hear from readers. *g* I'm so thrilled you are enjoying the story and I hope you like this chapter as well. =) And yay for helping your Luck love! I absolutely adore this couple. *g*


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow  
**Feedback:** Please and thank you  
**A/N:** I don't know if this will be more than a one-shot or not. I'd love to hear what you think... Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

=-0-=

Sunday he woke up with her in his arms. Her dark hair fanned out on her pillow, her warm body against his. Her mouth parted in a small "o", her long lashes lay against her cheeks, those cheeks were slightly pink from sleep. Puck leaned up on his side, watching her, enjoying her. Her eyes started to open slowly, blinking a couple of times. She smiled at him. A soft one. A real one. One that made his heart beat just a touch faster. Turning slightly she buried her head in the pillow, looking up. Their eyes locked and he got a weird feeling in his stomach. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling. Just a strange one. It was like a pulling or tugging at his organs, but warm in the center of his chest at the same time. It reminded him of when he's about to steal something that he has been wanting for a really long time. The itchiness of being so close to what he desired. About to get it. Almost there.

It was kinda like that. But not really. Because this was something he has never felt before. (Except once. But he really didn't want to think about that right now.) And quite frankly it was freaking him the fuck out! Shaking it off, he leaned his head down and kissed her neck right below her ear. They only had a short time left before her parents returned and their weekend of fun and mayhem ended. She moaned slightly, her nails curling against the skin of his chest.

"Morning, babe," he hummed into her throat.

She pushed herself against him. Her breasts full and warm as they pressed into his chest. He moved his right hand to cup one under the night shirt she threw on after sex the night before when she got them a snack. Sex with her definitely made him work up an appetite. Lauren arched her back, filling his palm with more of her breast.

"Mmm, morning," she purred back when his lips latched onto the spot that made her squirm.

Her arms slid around him, urging him closer. She didn't have to push too hard. He wanted, no needed, to be closer to her too. His blood was burning. His body felt like a live wire. Every time she shifted or brushed up against him, he got a shock. Rolling her onto her back, Puck attacked her lips. The kiss they shared was passion driven. They needed more. So much more. Lauren raked her nails down his back. He reached toward the nightstand for a condom. His fingertips grazing the wrapper a second before they heard a car door slam shut outside.

Both teens froze. Listening to see if it was another house. Please for the love of God let it be another house. He really wanted to get his morning sex on. Obviously God was taking care of someone else's prayer at the moment because a second after he asked, they heard the front door open.

"Lauren!" her mother called from downstairs. "Lauren are you home?"

"Oh, shit," she hissed, pushing him off of her. "Get the fuck off of me." He refused to move. He was in a little bit of pain. She turned him on and now he was having a hard (ha!) time turning it off enough to get off (double ha!) her. "Puckerman, I swear if you don't move now, I'll kick your ass so hard you won't be able to sit when you're ninety."

"Lauren, honey," her mom's voice was getting closer.

"Get, get," Lauren pushed harder against him and this time he moved without too much pain. Fear was helping matters. "Okay, um, fuck, shit," she climbed out of the bed and bent down to get a pair of shorts on. He searched the floor as well. He had just slipped on his boxers when she shoved the rest of his clothes into his arms. "Go out the window."

Puck looked at her like she lost her mind. "We're on the fucking second story." Her eyes cut him with a '_yeah, no shit_,' look. "I've done a lot of stupid things but jumping out the second floor window of my girlfriend's house isn't one of them."

"Okay," she said quietly, moving toward the door, "I'll give you an option then." He crossed his arms over his chest and waited. "You can either jump out my window on your own and risk twisting an ankle or something minor like that," he grimaced. "Or you can wait until my dad walks in and _throws_ your fucking scrawny ass out the very same window and you land on whatever and wherever he see fit to send you. Breaking more than one bone as an added bonus." Her blue eyes got wide and she craned her neck toward the door. "Choice is yours and the clock is ticking."

"Can't you just hide me in the closet, get them downstairs and distract them so I can escape out the front door?" She shot him an '_are you fucking kidding me right now_' expression.

"Lauren are you still asleep?" her mother called from right outside the door.

"If that damn Puckerman kid did something to my baby while we were gone," her father's gruff voice came through the door loudly. "I don't trust him, damn hoodlum."

"Grant, really, honey," her mother said as Lauren pushed Puck toward the window kicking different items that could give them away under the bed. "I happen to like him." Both teens turned to the door. Lauren had a shocked expression on her face while Puck was smirking. Ladies loved him. It was a fucking curse. "And really I don't think you have to worry about him hurting Lauren. But if he does, she'll be the first to cause him pain back."

"That's true," his girlfriend whispered.

"I know," he replied just as quietly.

"Still, Lillian," Grant continued. "I don't trust him. And if I find him in there with her. I'll send him to the hospital."

Lauren turned back to him, arching her eyebrow.

"I'll just be going out the window now," he opened the latch and threw his clothes to the ground first. Climbing up on the ledge, he turned back to her and leaned down, "how about a kiss for luck babe."

She angled her head as if she was going to give him what he asked for then twisted her arm around his legs, sending him falling toward the hard ground below. He just barely swallowed his scream on the way down. Puck's fall was broken by some bushes under her window, not that that made landing any more pleasant. Most of the bushes were pointy sticks. Spring hadn't sprung all the way yet. He looked up toward her window and saw her smile tightly at him. Just before she closed the window, she blew him a kiss then disappeared. Puck groaned. That was not how he envisioned his morning going.

Gathering his clothes, he put them on as quick as he could before rushing to where they hid his truck down the street. At least her father didn't see that.

_Roger swore he saw it in his text to Dave that very morning. [Dave later told him if he ever texted him before 12 on a Sunday again he would pay dearly]. It was the weirdest thing. As he stood at his window, the one that faced Lauren's he saw it all._

_First there was flying clothes._

_Then there was a flying Noah Puckerman._

_Lauren's parents back from wherever they were..._

_Roger took as many pictures of Puck falling and landing on her bushes as he could. He wasn't wearing anything but his boxers! Roger was now a permanent member to the Facebook site. The dude was like their own personal spy! (Girls secretly right clicked the pictures when they were made available and saved them to their computers to stare at later. Man, Noah Puckerman was FINE!)_

_Pictures and descriptions/speculations were running rampant through the internet-verse. Roger's phone was exploding with texts. Everyone wanted to know what happened. Kendall told Mary-Anne who whispered to Francis- who told Herman, the barista at the local Starbucks because he was there- that she bet Lauren's father found out Puck has been sleeping with his daughter and threw the sexy football player out the window. Poor thing! Kendall assured Mary-Anne that if he was her boyfriend, her dad would never do that. Mary Anne wondered how Kendall's real boyfriend would react. Kendall shrugged. He was in jail for at least six more years. So it totally didn't count or matter._

It happened four days after she had to assure her dad that Puck wasn't in her room, the house or their neighbor. Sunday hadn't been the easiest for her, but once her dad was satisfied that she was still his baby girl, it got better. Puck was a little butt-hurt over being shoved out the window also. It didn't take him long to get over that though. A couple minutes in the janitor closet smoothed it out completely. Of course karma was a bitch. And the bitch was rearing it's ugly Medusa head during one of the biggest fucking matches of her life.

She knew instantly. The way she landed. The way her opponent turned. The pop. The pain. A fireball shooting up and down her body. The center of her agony was her right knee. She knew it was all wrong. Lauren moved her arm, twisting until the guy she was wrestling was on his back with her front against his. His face was red from frustration, exertion and pure adrenaline. Hers from fighting the emotions that were threatening to overtake her. She tightened her grip on his body, pressing him harder into the mat, trying like hell to ignore the burning in her leg. All she had to do was hold on until the ref called the match. All she had to do was focus on the win and not the fact that she felt like she was about to be sick from the pain.

A flash of white and black was at her side, movement she couldn't see but knew was the refs hand slapping the mat. Counting. 1, 2, 3, her mind blanked as Ryan, the guy under her at the moment, moved slightly. _Oh fuck, no you don't_, Lauren hissed in her mind, locking her arms. He stopped moving and the countdown continued. Finally it stopped. Finally she won. Finally. She released her opponent, managing to stand without throwing up and shook his hand. Looking toward her bench where her coach, teammates and Puck were cheering her on, she waved to Coach Thomas. Her face must have given more away than she planned because Puck shifted in his seat, ready to spring toward her. Subtly she shook her head. Coach Thomas looked at Puck, speaking quickly to her boyfriend then moved onto the mat.

"What's up Zizes?" Her coach was short and stocky, with gray hair at his temples and an often mean expression on his face. He was a man of few words, but when he was motivated enough could talk (yell) anyone's ear off. He was also the one that gave her a chance when everyone else wanted her off the team. Lauren looked into his light green eyes. The harshness shifted on his face, concern flooded through, "Where's it hurt?"

"My knee," her voice was strained, tightly controlled. White waves floated in front of her, her equilibrium wavered. Standing became almost too much. He wrapped his arm around her supporting her weight to relieve the pressure on her injured leg. Immediately she felt better, the shooting fire relented, but didn't go away. "Something's wrong," she whispered more to herself than him.

"Yeah," he responded, leading her to the bench. Man of few words.

The bench cleared and one of the doctors on site rushed over to where she was currently fighting the urge to pass out again. Sitting sideways on the wooden seat with her right leg stretched out in front of her, Lauren got the first glimpse of her knee. She was in too much pain and fighting too much of a war against all the waves of pain to look before now. The darkening skin around her knee cap showed that her first instinct (and fear) might be true. The female doctor took her ankle in her hand, pushing up. Lauren couldn't stop the yelp of pain that exploded from her lips. God she wished she could have though. Puck immediately reacted to the sound.

Shit! She really couldn't handle him right now. If he acted all sweet, she'd probably turn all girly and that wasn't the image she wanted her teammates to see. It took her a long time to gain their respect and for them to stop treating her like a bitch that was hoarding in on their territory just because she threatened to sue the school if the team didn't accept her. It took an even longer time to gain their friendship, Lauren couldn't let anything shake that. She couldn't remind them that underneath all the badassness was a girl.

With another shake of her head and a stern look, she forced Puck to stay where he was behind Coach Thomas. He clearly didn't like that, but right then she just didn't have it in her to get a shit. The doctor looked up at her. "It appears to be a tear in your ACL or possibly PCL." Ice flooded her veins. This was not what she wanted to hear. Next week was a huge meet. She had to be on the mat so she could defend her title as state champion. "But I won't know anything for sure until I get x rays of your knee. For right now, ice it," she reached into the bag at her feet, pulling out a bottle of pills, "here are some pain killers. Not the good stuff but it'll do and I'll get a brace to support your knee. You'll need to go to the hospital to get the x-rays done immediately as well as get a prescription for pain relievers. Because this is going to hurt for a while." The doctor's calm, nice brown eyes turned bitchy. "You shouldn't have continued to wrestle after the injury. It might have been minor and nothing to worry about if you had stopped. Now you could need surgery."

Well fuck you very much, Lauren thought. Of course she knew she shouldn't have continued to wrestle, but the fucker was not going to beat her by default. A bag of ice landed gently on her knee and she looked up to see Puck standing there, holding it to her leg. She half smiled at him before looking away again. Coach Thomas handed her a paper cup filled with water, nodding to the pills in her hand. She shook out two, popping them in her mouth and swallowed the water quickly. It did little to nothing to ease the pain, but like Doctor Bitch said, these weren't the good ones. Said doctor returned with a brace securing it around her leg. Lauren grimaced at the thing on her leg, but didn't say a word. There really wasn't anything to say. Turning her head, she watched one of her teammates, Chuck, get the upper hand in his match, only to be pinned a half a second later.

"Fight out of it, Chuckles," she screamed at him. He was the second best on their team and if he went down they were fucked. Especially if her knee was as bad as she feared it might be. "Twist left." Lauren knew what would happen when she said that. It was their code. It was their way of helping each other. Chuck moved slightly to the left and his opponent reacted, overcompensating for the move and that's when Chuck switched quickly to his right, throwing the guy off of him and grabbed him by the middle, slamming him to the ground. The match was over ten seconds later. Chuck walked off the mat, heading right for her. On his dark face was a smirk of satisfaction. "Nice work, Chuckles."

He bumped fists with her. "You too, Ices. Well until you got yourself hurt that is." He sat on the bench next to her. "What the fuck was up with that, Ices? I mean, geez if you wanted me to be number one that bad, you could have just told me. I'm already the hottest wrestler on the team." Chuck grinned at her. She glared at him while Puck choked on a laugh behind her. Chuck laughed. "What's the verdict on the knee?"

"Possible ACL or PCL or both," she looked down at her knee. "This fucking sucks."

"Could be nothing but a sprain," Chuck hedged. He knew it was unrealistic. All the wrestlers on the team have had sprains. This wasn't a sprain. "Won't know anything until the docs do the x-rays."

"Yeah," she said softly, unconsciously reaching out for Puck's hand. He squeezed her fingers and she felt a little better, not much, but she'd take what she could.

_Friday morning Lauren was barely seen. Most had already heard about the wrestling meet. Her getting hurt seemed...so...so...human. Was that even possible? The geeks that knew her said it was. Lauren even bled one time. The kids that were scared of her, didn't believe this shit. The bad ass was invincible! Obviously not, Chuck- a guy on the wrestling team (and a close friend! to Lauren) said with a roll of his eyes._

_By Friday afternoon, Puck had disappeared too. Some thought he was using the break from Lauren to hook up with some cheerleader under the bleachers. Those people got strange looks. The number of students that believed he would cheat on her was shrinking daily. Even though they thought it was a Pod!Puck that was in a relationship with Lauren, they couldn't say he had even looked at another girl. Which just further proved this was the weirdest fucking thing this side of declaring that there were actually 13 zodiac signs instead of 12. _

_That damn extra sign just screwed everything up! Hey maybe that explained the Luck love. The sun and the moon and all the stars were messed up. The universe was out of sorts. Yes, that had to be it. _

_The Glee kids were mum about where Puck and Lauren were when each of them were cornered by various teens. All of them said the same thing: they didn't know, they didn't care and they weren't going to talk about it anymore. The break down of slushies went:_

_Rachel: Blue raspberry_

_Finn and Quinn: Green Apple_

_Mercedes, Sam, Brittany, Mike, Tina: Red Strawberry_

_Santana: Orange...orange_

_Artie: Yellow Banana_

_Really when will these Glee geeks learn? It would be so much easier if they just opened up about the bizzaro relationship. _

_Until then, Roger was their greatest source of information. And prom was only two weeks away..._

=-0-= 


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow  
**Feedback:** Please and thank you

=-0-=

Her name: Lauren Marie Zizes.

Her parents: Grant Henry Zizes and Lillian Elizabeth Monroe-Zizes. Grant was a CPA for one of the bigger firms in a neighboring town. He was a right tackle in high school. An all-American in college. Flirted with playing for the Cleveland Browns, but got cut before the final team was set. Lillian was a child and teen psychiatrist. She was a cheerleader, home coming queen and a sorority girl princess. Met and married Grant in college. Have been in love ever since.

Siblings: None...now. She had a brother but he died in Iraq in 2008. Lauren could still remember sitting at the top of the stairs listening to the two men from the Army tell her parents that Nathan Grant Zizes was killed while on patrol. Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran down the stairs and hugged her father. It was the last time she cried in front of anyone. She didn't talk about him much [it was still painful for her to think about so she often didn't], but Puck knew about Nathan. He was a wrestling and football champ. He would teach her some of his favorite holds and escapes in their garage because she begged him to. Lauren petitioned the school a year after his death to let her on the team.

Grandparents: Two dead (her mom's father and her dad's mother). Her granddad- Martin Reed Zizes- lives in Orlando, Florida and watches every one of her wrestling meets on the computer- just turned 76 and went skydiving for the first time this past year. Her grandmother- Judy Anne Monroe- lives in Columbus- tries to make it to all her matches (but luckily missed the last one)- has three dogs and can make the best red velvet cake that has ever been baked.

Boyfriend: Noah Andrew Puckerman. No rhyme or reason to this one. They shouldn't work. He shouldn't want to be with her [because honestly, she wasn't his normal type- in her opinion she was much better than all those bitches- with the exception of Quinn- Quinn was rather awesome, but that's only because she liked the blonde] and she sure as hell shouldn't want to be with him [his natural instinct to be a whore should have kicked in by now]. It didn't matter though. They did work. He did want to be with her. She did want to be with him.

Her hometown: Lima, Ohio. But she will never, won't ever let herself be a Lima Loser.

These were the facts her life. Lauren stared at the opposite wall in the hospital awaiting the results from her MRI. Her stomach felt like it was tied in knots. She's never been this scared before. At least not when it had to do with her. She was terrified when Nathan enlisted in the army and it turned out her fear was a well placed one. The terror inside her now was different than that though. It's had to do with what would happen if she couldn't wrestle anymore. She never realized how much of herself was tied into that part of her life.

It became her identity. The female wrestler. The girl that could wrestle the best men in the sport. Lauren Zizes, wrestler with a future. Who is Lauren? Oh yeah, she's that girl wrestler. Before she was Puck's girlfriend, that's how people identified her. It's how they still do know her, it's just with the added part of being his girl.

No one really knew her. And now, if her knee was shot, no one would know her ever. She didn't give into depression. She found that emotion worthless and stupid. Nothing good came from it. But Lauren could feel it seeping in as the time continued to tick by. Subtly she was already breaking away. Holding herself from the people she cared about, from Puck. It was just easier to lock everything in and lock everyone else out. In the week since the meet, she's been with him almost everyday, but hasn't really _been_ with him. Lauren tried not to notice that he noticed the change. She just couldn't deal with that crap right then.

She looked around her at the people in the waiting room. Women with kids playing around their legs. Men reading the newspaper, talking on the phone, doing paper work. Her father holding her mother's hand while they both waited with her. Everyone thinking their own thoughts. She wondered what they were. Funny she never gave a shit about that before.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Lifting forward slightly, she dug into it and pulled the thin device out. The screen showed a new message from Quinn. Moving her finger across the screen, she opened the text and grinned for the first time since entering the hospital. It was a picture text of Quinn with a frown on her face holding a sign that read, "_Glee needs you. Get your ass back here soon._" She had no idea why the thought of Glee needing her right now made her feel better, but it did.

"Lauren Zizes," the nurse at the front called out.

She grabbed the crutches she was given at the meet (she already hated the fucking things) and started toward the nurse. It was time to find out what the doctor had to say. Straightening her spine [as much as possible] and steeling her resolve because she wasn't about to show any of her fear. The bad ass part of her wouldn't let her. The nurse led her to a room at the end of the hall. Lauren wrinkled her nose. The smell was giving her a headache. She absolutely hated the scent of hospitals.

The petite nurse stopped at a room, waiting for Lauren and her parents, before going in and setting up the light box in the corner to show off the x-rays. She took a seat next to the desk, carefully avoiding looking at the black and white and gray images. She wasn't sure she could understand what she would see anyway. Her hands came together in her lap, her thumbs pressing into each other, the pads turning white. Her mom's eyes rested on her, she could feel them and it made her that much more uneasy. Lauren turned toward the small window at her side, watching the tree limbs sway in the breeze. The door opened behind them and she reluctantly turned toward the sound.

A tall man in his late thirties walked in, the typical white coat on and a bland smile on his lips. He looked down at the file in his hand, "I'm Doctor Williams." He raised his head, glancing at her father, her mother and finally at her. The bland smile tightened just a hair. She tensed up. Her dislike for him growing. "You must be Lauren. I've heard a lot about you..." he took a seat in front of her on the other side of the desk. "From my son, Ryan." A small part of her wanted to smirk. So his son was the one she beat during the match that could end her career. Karma you are a wicked sort of ho-bag. "I looked over your x-rays and you have torn you're ACL, but from the MRI I don't believe it will require surgery." Air rushed out of her lungs in relief. It wasn't as bad as she believed. She could still have a future. She could still wrestle. Dr. Williams leaned forward, clasping his hands together, "I want you to understand something though. Just because this injury doesn't require surgery, doesn't mean it wasn't serious. You're lucky that the tear wasn't sufficient. But this type of injury can make sports more difficult.

"You have injured a crucial part of your body. Many sports players that have injured their ACL have found it much more taxing to do moves that normally weren't an issue before." He moved some papers on his desk and handed her a stack of them. "I'm recommending that you stay off your leg for the next couple of days, meaning as little activity should be done as possible. Keep your knee elevated and ice it. As you know the ice will help with the inflammation.

"After that, I would suggest minor activity. Slowly testing your ability to stand without the assistance of clutches. Your stability will be hindered so don't be surprised if you can't handle standing for more than a couple of minutes at a time."

"What about Prom," Lauren hedged. She fidgeted at the look coming from her father. "Will I be able to go to Prom this weekend?"

Doctor Williams, nodded hesitatingly. "You can. But Lauren you can't dance and I would recommend that you sit the entire time. As I said your knee isn't stable. The ligament is not going to repair itself in a few days. This type of injury takes weeks before anyone starts to feel better and months before normal activity feels...well normal. And that's after lots of physical therapy." He stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he looked up again, he wouldn't meet her eyes. Lauren felt ice crystallize in her veins. She knew what was coming next. "It also wouldn't hurt to think about losing some weight, it will help if there isn't so much on your knee."

The room went silent. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father clench his teeth, his fists turning white. Her mother's blue eyes narrowed, her cheeks flushed in anger. Her confidence didn't just come from deep inside herself. It came from her family. Her friends. From the knowledge that she could do anything, have anyone [she was dating Puckerman wasn't she?] and could be anything and it didn't matter that she was bigger than most.

A bitter, cold smile curled her lips. "Thanks for the advice doctor. I'll be sure to take everything you've said into consideration." Gathering her crutches, -she was going to burn the mother fucking things as soon as she could- she stood and looked at the doctor with her patented glare. "Do you have a list of good physical therapists?" He handed her the list. Lauren folded it before handing it to her mother then walked out of the room. She had nothing more to say to that bastard of a doctor.

=-0-=

_Quiet was the schools least favorite mode. And when that quiet had to do with the rumor mill it was even worse. With Luck in a weird holding pattern, no new sightings from Roger and a lack of just wacky gossip, it was a boring and frustrating week. _

_The only hope they had was Prom and that was less than a week away. The votes have been cast for King and Queen. As rumored Quinn, Lauren and Santana were on the ballot. Most thought Lauren's name was thrown on there as a joke to poke fun at the craziness of the Luck situation. It didn't matter one bit though. Molly, the class president and head of the dance counsel told Andrew- who told Phil- who wrote it on the Facebook page- that quite a few voted for the wrestler. When asked if she won, Molly stayed silent. _

_Like she was going to give that away. Morons!_

=-0-=

He tapped his bat against the edge of his shoe. The sun was starting to peek out from around some clouds in the distance, warming the ball fields. His eyes narrowed under the helmet as he brought the wood up in his batting stance. He watched the pitcher bend to look at the sign the catcher was giving him, nod then lean back up, glancing briefly at the runners on third and second. The runner on second started edging out, one step, two steps, furthering the distance between him and the bag. Finn waited at first base, his glove ready for anything that might come his way. Puck had no intention of sending anything his way. He was frustrated and annoyed and all he wanted to do was send this ball flying over the back wall. He wanted to hear the crack of wood against leather. He wanted to feel the bat vibrate a little in his hand from the power. He wanted to slam all the emotions he hasn't been able to deal with into a monster hit.

The pitcher, Samuel, wound up, sending a curling curve ball right in the strike zone. This pitch has been giving him problems in the team practices. Sam was a fucking beast with it and that was sure to help them win at least a couple of games. But that was before Puck was madder than hell and wanted to cause some serious damage. The sound of his bat connecting with the ball was electric. The wood wobbled a bit from the force, just as he hoped it would. He dropped the stick to the ground at his feet, taking off toward first, watching the ball sail through the air as he did.

As he was rounding second he grinned, the round object was gone. A speck of orange-white flying to land somewhere behind the outfield wall. He could have walked the rest of the way home, but running helped him calm down a little. He enjoyed the sweat, the burn, the fact that his mind was blank for the first time in days. That feeling ended as soon as he touched the plate though. All those things that have been pissing him off rushed back into his mind once there was nothing to physically stop them. The team gathered around the home base while Coach Jackson came out of the dug out. His teammates slapped him on the back, congratulating him on the hit as if the game was real and he won it. Puck smirked, accepting the praise.

He knew he was fucking amazing at sports. It was the only gift his loser father gave him and it wasn't intentional. The only thing that mother fucker did that was intentional where his children were concerned was leave them behind. Puck rolled his shoulders, working the tightness from them. Just thinking about his father made him want to punch something, especially since that letter was still in his room. Fucking bastard. He blew out a breath and tried to calm his anger. Coach cleared his throat and removed his old baseball cap from his head.

"Nice practice everyone," he looked at each kid and then turned to the side to spit out a sunflower seed shell. "Our first game is tomorrow night. I'll need you all to be here early for the opening day shit that we have to do." Puck grinned at the coach cursing. "Don't be late. If you are, you'll be riding the pine for the first and possibly second game." He shook some more seeds out of the bag in his pocket and tossed them into his mouth. "If I have to be here thirty minutes before this game starts so do you. Go hit the showers."

Puck walked over to the dug out with the rest of the team to claim a bottle of Gatorade and get his stuff before climbing the hill toward the showers. Finn jogged up beside him, looking back at the field. "You didn't even notice them did you?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked wiping the sweat from his brow.

"The girls," Finn pointed with his thumb over his shoulder. "There are like ten of them. And you didn't notice any of them?"

Puck shrugged, as he looked back and saw that there were in fact twelve very attractive girls, wearing as little as the weather would allow. He tried to ignore the feeling in his stomach. Why _hadn't_ he seen those chicks before? Twisting the cap on his orange drink he gulped down half before he answered. "Got shit on my mind."

"Yeah," Finn stayed quiet until the locker room door came into sight. "How's Lauren?"

"She went to get her MRI results today." Puck opened the door and let the smell of the locker room engulf him. It was stale, dirty, sweaty and gross, but some part of him loved it. Fuck it was sports! "Hey, have you talked with Artie about the limo? Because I think me and Lauren might be backing out of Prom."

"What!" Finn's voice rose like a girl's. Puck leveled him with a stare. Finn cleared his throat. "I mean why? You've actually been kinda...cool about it. I thought you were sorta excited to be going to Prom with Lauren."

"Is it time for your period Finn," he asked opening his locker and pulling out his clothes. "God man the fuck up, dude. It's just a dance."

Puck intentionally kept his head down. He would never fucking admit it, but he was excited about Prom. It would be the first time Lauren and he would be together with all their friends and frienemies as Lauren called them. He was also looking forward to seeing Lauren in her dress (and out of it). She'd been teasing him for weeks about buying some sexy lingerie to wear and while staying with her he actually found a receipt from an online sex costume- lingerie shop, so he knew she had done it. Oh he wanted like hell to see what she bought. But that was before. That was before she got hurt and started pulling away. Fuck! He slammed his locker shut [causing Finn to jump at his side] and left for the showers.

He turned the water on as hot as it would go and held himself under the spray. The heated jets beat out some of the tension gathering in his muscles, forcing him to relax. Puck closed his eyes, tipping his head back. When did it get so serious, so complicated? He should have stuck with what he knew best. Barely caring and getting his. Now that he gave a fuck everything was heightened. The highs with Lauren were better than any drug on the market, but the lows- like the one they are going through right now- fucking sucked!

Finishing his shower, he dried off then wrapped a towel around his waist. His cell chimed in his pocket letting him know he had a text. Reaching into his jeans he pulled it out and smiled briefly when he saw it was from Lauren. It wasn't very long, but his insides clenched when he read it: _We need to talk. Call me back_.

Getting dressed, he shoved the cell back in his front pocket and looked at himself in the full length mirror in front of him. Walking out the door of the locker room, he saw that three of the twelve girls were still waiting. He looked behind him before the door closed and noticed he was the only one left. Turning back, he smirked. The expression was halfhearted but he didn't think the bobble heads in front of him realized it. Lauren would have though.

A tall, leggy red-head (the brave one of the group) came forward and smiled at him. Her green eyes were pale. He liked blue- deep blue. She pressed herself next to him. Her body was lacking curves, all angles without any meat. He liked the feel of a woman- his woman. Her hair was long, curly and smelled like strawberries. He loved the vanilla-lavender shampoo that Lauren used. Her small breasts pushed into his arm as she leaned in. Puck couldn't help but notice they didn't feel as nice as Lauren's fuller ones. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he raised his arm and placed it on the wall above her head, leaning in.

"You were really awesome out there," she purred, sliding her hand down his chest.

He waited for the instant arousal that used to come with women throwing themselves at him. All he felt was disgust. With her for being so easy and with himself for even talking with her when he had someone better. Maybe it was that that made him push this or maybe he really was just a destructive piece of shit, but what he did next was sure to fuck up his life. Puck let his hand brush her hair from her face and raised his eyebrow at her, flirting the way only he knew how.

"You know, I'm awesome at a lot of things, babe," the words tasted sour. The term of endearment felt wrong, it's what he called Lauren. It was for Lauren. He swallowed.

"Ooh," she brushed herself against him again. "I'd like to see that."

She took the first step, her lips on his. Her mouth moving, his stiff. Her tongue flicked at the seam of his lips. He couldn't do it. Bile rose in his throat, his stomach rolled. What the fuck was he doing? He looked down the hallway and his blood turned to ice. Quinn stood there with Finn. Her blue eyes narrowed in anger and accusation. Finn's mouth hung open and there was a mild disappointment on his face. But maybe the worse part wasn't the disappointment Puck saw on his friend's face as much as the resignation. Like he knew it was coming. Puck was just a fuck-up.

Turning away from the girl- he didn't know her name and didn't want to, she was less than nothing to him-, his friend and his ex, he walked quickly down the hall toward the exit. He heard the slap of heels behind him and knew who was coming. He slowed down, waiting for the fury to come from her. She didn't disappoint. Quinn grabbed his arm and slapped him across the face with her other hand. The sting on his cheek was the only thing that felt right. He deserved that. The tiny blonde was breathing heavy- from anger and from having to chase him.

"You really are a fool," her quiet voice was laced with rage. "Why in the hell would you do that when you love Lauren?"

_Love. Lauren. Love. Lauren_. The two words echoed in his head. His heart pumped faster in his chest at the thought, at the knowledge that he might- he did- love her. Puck shook his head, fighting against it, "I don't."

"Bull shit!" she hissed. "I told you before that I knew you. I know when you are just fooling around and just having fun with a girl." Quinn shook her head, "It might have started out like that for you, but it hasn't been like that for a while." Her eyes cut him, "too bad you had to go and screw yourself."

"You're going to tell her."

"Oh no," she said, "you aren't getting out of this that easily. I'm not going to tell her. You are."

"Why would I do that," he scoffed, knowing deep down he couldn't keep this from her.

"Because you _love_ her," she emphasized the word. Sadness filled her eyes, "And I don't believe you wanted to hurt her. You're just a dumbass." Pause. "I saw it all. I know that she came on to you, I know that you backed away, I saw your face. You definitely weren't into it, but I don't know if that will matter much."

The fight left him and his shoulders slumped, "I fucked this up didn't I?" She nodded. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

"Yeah," her lips curled up, "I got that." Quinn pushed a lock of hair from her face, "Be honest with her. Maybe she won't kill you and maybe you'll be able to fix it." She bit her bottom lip, "Lauren loves you too."

Heat filled him and his heart stopped for a second, "How do you know that?"

She merely smirked and walked away. He stood there for a moment before pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and dialing Lauren's number. She answered on the second ring. "Hey babe, can I come over?"

"Yeah," she sounded better than she had in days. Her voice held hope. Hope he was about to crush. "Come on over. I have some news."

_So do I_, he thought to himself. "I'll be there soon." _Love you_. He tested the words out in his mind and found them to fit perfectly, but he didn't say them out loud. "See you." Hanging up, Puck walked to his truck and got in.

=-0-=

_It finally happened._

_All the rumors. All the jokes. Everything. It finally came true._

_Puck kissed another girl. _

_Olivia who was with Kassie- the girl he kissed- told Margo- who tweeted- well everyone and those people tweeted everyone else (including some movie and music stars just because it was that big of news) -said that it wasn't a good kiss. Not like the one he shared with Lauren, but it happened. She even had a picture. The picture was of course posted to all social media sites where the McKinley High students had set up Luck pages._

_It was the first time no one knew what to say. In some weird way, it depressed everyone. As sick and wrong as the relationship between Lauren and Puck was, it was also kinda right. And that realization was one of the first to be posted by Janica- the first to break the silence. Anti-Kassie signs popped up. How could her and Puck ruin the school's fun? Bastards!_

_Roger watched it all unfold through his bedroom window- with his high grade binoculars. From what he saw, Lauren really let Puck have it. She punched him then waved her arm toward the door. It looked like Puck tried to explain but Lauren just shook her head and pointed at the door again. _

_Watching it happen kinda hurt, Roger admitted. _

_He told David- who mentioned to everyone else- who commented to anyone who was left- that he hoped they worked it out. He kinda liked the bizzaro world they found themselves in._

_The student body agreed. _

_Prom was three days away..._

_=-0-=___

* * *

Please, please, please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter...

*hides and hopes for the best*


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow  
**A/N:** I'd love to hear what you think... Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

* * *

_**A/N: I'm so sorry to everyone that was disappointed in the last chapter. It was never my intention to make the story ruin the story for any of you. I want to assure you though that Lauren and Puck are the end game. I have no intention of leaving the story with them apart. If you can just hang on a little longer, I promise (hope) the wait will be worth it. If you can't I understand and want to thank you for reading this far. You are all amazing! :)**_

* * *

=-0-=

He fucked up. He was a fuck up. Driving from her house was the hardest thing he has done since he said goodbye to Beth for the last time. It felt like a piece of his heart was being ripped out Freddy Krueger style. Sharp knives slicing in, cutting out. Blood gushing over the wound with no chance of it stopping anytime soon. Puck pulled off the side of the road and turned off the truck. He stared out the front window, out at the abandon road he was driving down and felt the rage build inside of him. He slammed his palms down on the steering wheel, welcoming the pain. He needed to feel something other than the nothing that was spreading in his chest.

Why did he do it? What the fuck was he trying to prove? That he could hurt Lauren? That he could move on, that he didn't want or need her? _Well jackass, you didn't prove any of that except the part where you could hurt the girl you love. All you did was screw up. All you did was show the world what a fucking prick you are. Congratulations_. He bit his lip and shut his eyes. Breathing became harder. It was like something was constricting all the air flow in his lungs. Pressing down. Slowly killing him.

Dropping his head back on the head rest, he forced air in. Was he just meant to be like this forever? He always managed to find a way to wreck whats good in his life. He destroyed his friendship with Finn by fucking his girlfriend. He messed Quinn's life up by getting her pregnant at the age of sixteen. He hurt Lauren by cheating on her with someone he didn't even know existed a day before. Maybe there was something wrong with him. Maybe there was a piece missing. The one that stopped him from doing stupid things.

Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore. Because the end was the same. Lauren told him to fucking leave her alone and never talk to her again. She broke up with him and, even though he knew she'd deny it, he saw that he killed a small part of her. He swallowed around the lump in his throat replaying the scene in his head. Her eyes started out so bright when he got there.

She was relieved. The doctor told her she would be able to wrestle again. She didn't need surgery. Prom would be a little difficult but she could go. And she was definitely going to show him that outfit she bought online. Then she paused. She looked at him, stared right through him.

"What's wrong?" her smile shook on her lips.

"Nothing, babe," again the term felt wrong, bitter, but this time it was because he had used it with someone else. He had used it right before he kissed someone else. "I'm just happy for you," he smirked as well as he could, "and I'm thinking about what hot date I'm going to have at Prom and after."

"You really are a fucking horrible liar, Puckerman," her voice went dead and her eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

He couldn't answer right away. He didn't want to answer at all. He wanted to erase what he had done. Where were the fucking do-overs that they had when they were kids? She shifted away from him, leaning her good leg against the edge of the bed for support and crossed her arms over her chest. It wasn't an intimidating manner in which she did it, it was a protective one. She knew. He could see it. Maybe Lauren didn't know what it was exactly- but she did know something was off. Puck had done something. He looked away, trying to gather the courage to say the words, to beg for forgiveness, to tell her that he loved her and he'll never be this stupid again. All that came out was a choked, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry," she repeated. "Why are you sorry? What the fuck have you done to be sorry about Puckerman?"

"It didn't mean anything," he started to take a step toward her, she shook her head. Her eyes avoiding his or maybe he was avoiding hers. "It was just a kiss. Just a stupid fucking kiss." He chanced a look at her, she was frozen. Her mouth was pulled together, her bright blue eyes were starting to dull. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her arms tightened around her. "It...I didn't even..."

"Get out," she hissed, punching him once hard in the arm when he didn't move immediately then she pointed to the door. "Get the fuck out of my room."

"Lauren," he took a half a step toward her.

"Get out of here, Puck." she shook her head, pointing more insistently. "And don't bother calling me again. I want nothing to do with you. Get the fuck out of my house!" He tried to explain. He needed to explain. This couldn't end here, not when he finally admitted to himself that he loved her. He was in love with her and he couldn't lose her now. Her blue eyes turned steely. "Leave now or I will have my father force you to go and that will not end well for you."

Puck knew that he wouldn't be able to get through to her tonight and nodded his head slightly, leaving her behind. Now he was sitting on the side of a dirt road alone, wishing like hell she would have just listened. No that wasn't fair. Lauren had every reason not to listen to him. He was the one that fucked this up. He lost her because that's what he does. He pulled out his phone and called the only person he could.

They picked on the second ring and he didn't even bother with a greeting, just launched right into why he called, "She broke up with me."

"Does that surprise you," Quinn asked in a bored tone. "You screwed yourself."

"I need her to listen to me," he said as if she hadn't spoken at all. "I need your help to get her to see me so I can explain."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to her," he gripped the steering wheel tightly and said the one word he's never said to anyone but his Nanna, Lauren and his mother. "Please."

Silence. Puck thought she had hung up on him. She was Lauren's friend but then he heard her sigh and hope started to raise in the empty place his heart was. "I'll try," she said after another second of silence. "But I don't know how much help I'll be. I'm pretty pissed at you too for doing this."

"Thank you Quinn," he breathed out.

"Don't thank me yet," she cautioned then hung up on him.

Slipping the phone back in his pocket, he pulled back on the road and did something he hasn't done in too long: prayed.

=-0-=

_It spread through the Glee club like a raging fire. Santana heard it from Vicky- one of the cheerios she still talked to- who got a text from Robert – who's best friend Mitchell saw Puck's truck on the side of the road. Santana told Brittany- who was laying beside her with her shirt half undone that Puck was freaking the hell out in his truck. This was after he was seen leaving Lauren's place and after the "incident" as it's been dubbed by the school._

_Brittany called Artie, from Santana's bed, Artie (who was playing video games with Sam) immediately texted Mercedes- who tweeted Quinn with a "OMG-Are they really over?" Quinn responded with a *sad face * and called Finn to let him know that all hell was about to break lose. _

_Finn instant messaged Mike- who was with Tina at the time so they got the news together- Lauren and Puck were broken up. And it was bad._

_Mike listened to Tina as she recounted the number of break-ups that Glee has seen. She thought all would be okay- but that didn't stop her from calling Mercedes- who called Quinn and Kurt (because she told Kurt everything)- who called Finn into the room and he called Artie [and Sam]- who called Brittany- who let Santana listen on her phone while they all had a conference call. _

_With everyone voicing their opinions- (some amused- Santana did love drama- even if she had to begrudgingly admit the freak-show was entertaining and she would miss it. Others were sad and still more were confused by what happened exactly) – one thing was agreed upon: The dynamic of their tiny little group was about to change. Sides would have to be picked._

_Rachel was blissfully unaware of all the drama going down. She was in her basement accepting her imaginary Tony award. Her speech was filled with tears- her dads absolutely loved it. _

=-0-=

He left after she threatened to have her father come throw him out if he didn't but the words hung in the air of her room. She closed her eyes, trying to get the world to stop spinning so fast. He kissed another girl. He kissed another girl- ... _It wasn't shocking_, Lauren hissed to herself, _what was shocking was that it took him this long to do what he normally does._ Hobbling to the bed she sat down in the middle of it. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand next to her, she ignored it. It was probably him calling to tell her he was sorry or something equally as cliché and lame as that. Well fuck him. _Fuck_ _him to hell_! She didn't care. She never cared about him. He was just a boy. Someone to pass the time with.

No tears were going to fall from her eyes over this. She refused. The end was coming when they started, now it was here. So what! It wasn't like she was blindsided or devastated by what he had done. So what if she was enjoying their time together- who wouldn't enjoy having some fun with Puck? It wasn't like she cared. It wasn't like she loved him. That would have been stupid. And she wasn't stupid. Lauren went into that relationship with her eyes wide open. He was a slut, he proved that on more than one occasion. He's been around the fucking block more times than Greyhound.

Lauren sat on her bed, staring at her hands curled in her lap. The brace on her leg reminded her of how much she's lost. Not that she was upset about Puck. Because she wasn't. She was pissed about everything else! The pain in her chest was from holding her anger in. Everything was falling apart, but she would get it back. She would be back as the best fucking wrestler in the state and this time she wouldn't stop there. The national title would be hers. Hell maybe she would take on the world. Knock some European guys on their hot asses then kiss them senseless to show that she fucking _owned_ them.

She swallowed against the sour taste in her mouth and the knots in her stomach. Looking out the window, Lauren bit her lip to stop the bottom one from quivering. _No fucking tears_, she commanded herself harshly. Noah Puckerman wasn't worth it and frankly she could do so much better. He was scrawny and a bad kisser and she had to work so hard to make him even half worthy of her. Yeah he got better toward the end- but... Fuck! A single tear slipped over her eye lid. She wiped it away angrily. Why was she crying? That shit was stupid. God she needed to get out of here. The problem was there was no where to go, so she laid down, shut her eyes and forced sleep to come.

Twelve hours and more than one intense dream later she woke up. Lauren rubbed the last of her dream from her eyes and looked around the room a little disoriented. It took a second for the puzzle pieces to fall into place, for her to remember everything that happened the day before. Oh yeah. And the joy of it was that she had to go to school in two hours. She had a class with him. She had Glee with him. Would she see him with that ho-bag? Would they sneak into the janitor's closet between classes like Lauren and he used to do? She felt sick at the thoughts running through her head. Getting up as quick as she could with her leg anchored in that fucking brace, she grabbed her crutches and rushed to the bathroom next to her room. The entire contents of her stomach exploded from her. The bitter burn of acid scorched her throat and she shut her eyes until it was over. When there was nothing left, inside her stomach, inside her period, she flushed the toilet quickly and opened her eyes back up.

Limping to the sink, Lauren turned on the water, filling her mouth with the cold liquid to get rid of the taste. She glanced at the mirror in front of her and sucked in a breath. Her blue eyes were dull. Her cheeks were whiter than normal- even her lips were pale. Her hair was a mess, chunks flying in different directions. She looked horrible. She looked like she was losing control of herself. The empty feeling inside was being reflected outside. Averting her eyes from the image she bent her head and inhaled as much oxygen as possible. She couldn't go to school like that. It wasn't her. And damn it she was not going to look like a weak bitch that got her heartbroken. Because she wasn't! She was fine. She was better than fine. She was fucking amazing and this wasn't her loss it was Puck's. She'd be better without him in her life.

And as soon as the piercing, stabbing, stinging anguish in her chest subsided she would prove that to the world. Looking back up at the girl in the mirror, she let the first real emotion show. Lauren rolled her tongue over her lips, pulling them in between her teeth. Tears started filling her eyes and she let them. She let herself have this moment because once she left the bathroom it would never happen again. Once she left the safety of this small place, she would be Lauren Zizes, the mother fucking queen of bad ass-ness again. Until then though, she slapped a hand to her mouth and held in the scream that wanted to escape. She let the tears she hadn't shed since Nathan's death slide down her cheeks and under her chin. She let herself admit that this hurt more than she thought it would. She let herself be all the things she couldn't be as soon as she pulled into the parking lot of school- as soon as she saw him again.

=-0-=

_Whispering. Silent questions. _

_Would there be a blow-up between Lauren and Puck?_

_Would she kick him in the nads? (Guys crossed their legs subconsciously at that suggestion)_

_Would Puck be with the girl Kassie? (Most hoped not, because that would force them to post more nasty stuff about them online and there was already quite a bit of negative stuff about Puck and that girl. Ugh! They had to ruin EVERYTHING!)_

_Would Lauren even show up?_

_Would she be teary and girly? (Scoffing came with that idea- Lauren girly? Yeah right) Would she kick Kassie's ass? (Girlfight! Those were always hot, Larry told James while waiting for the bus.)_

_So many questions and soon they would have their answers. The first bell was going to ring any minute_

=-0-=

The school was buzzing when she entered the halls and not just about her and that asshat. She kept her head up, glaring at those that dared look at her too long. Her outfit was perfect, not a hair out of place, make up was fierce. No one would know she spent twenty minutes sobbing, breaking down. That part of her was gone. Locked away. Forever hidden like so many other parts of herself. At her locker was Quinn. She hesitated, her hands slipping on the crutches before she arched her brow and headed in her friend's direction.

Quinn straightened up, holding the strap of her shoulder bag in one hand. "You didn't call me last night." Lauren looked confused for a moment then realized that her cell had been off since the fight with Puck. "You okay?"

Lauren shrugged, avoiding eye contact by turning her lock and gathering the books she would need. "Why wouldn't I be?" Silence greeted her, she moved her head to see around her locker door and encountered Quinn's _Bitch-please_ face. She sighed turning back to her books. "It's not that big of a deal. I always knew he was a jackass and a whore." She swallowed against the large clump in her throat and the pain in her chest. Fucking hell! "Besides," she continued acting as if she couldn't give a lesser damn if someone paid her a million dollars to and shut her locker door. "It's not like we were some great fucking love story. We were just screwing around. So I'm fine. Whatever. You know. Time to move on."

"Uh huh," the blonde rolled her eyes at her. "You suck at lying, Lauren. Why can't you just admit this freaking sucks and you're angry and hurt and that you _do_ love him?"

"Because I don't," her voice didn't shake. Damn her voice better not have shook on those words. Fuck! She cleared her throat and said it again, clearer this time, with more conviction, "I don't give a shit about Puckerman."

Quinn looked sad, shaking her head. "The bad part is, some part of you actually believes that." The smaller girl shifted and sighed, "Of course a bigger part of you knows it's horse shit and you do care about him. A lot." The bell rung loudly through the halls, both girls reacted to the sound and the movement it created from the other students. "I'll see you at lunch, Lauren."

Lauren nodded, "See you then, barbie." She watched her friend walk in the opposite direction she needed to go and took several deep breaths to calm her insides. Her stomach was getting tied in giant knots again and tears were gathering in her throat, cutting off her air and making it nearly impossible to breathe. She couldn't break down over this shit again damn it. Not while he could see her. Not when others could. When was it going to sink in firmly that he wasn't fucking worth it! Thinking about going to class made her palms sweat. She just couldn't be the center of attention right now. Her nerves were still so raw from her conversation with Quinn, from the twenty minutes she spent on the bathroom floor. She decided to skip her homeroom and headed to the gym. She needed to clear her head. Pushing into the women's changing room, she changed out of her school clothes and into her gym clothes. Looking at her reflection, she sighed then headed into the weight room. The weight room was empty except for Chuck, who doing leg presses. "What are you doing in here, Chuckles?"

Her friend looked up in the mirror and smiled at her reflection, "Yo, Ices! What did the doc say?"

"Tear in my ACL," he grimaced, "but no surgery. I'll need lots of PT though."

"Physical therapy ain't so bad," his cheeks puffed out with with every exhale. "Aren't you supposed to be taking it easy though? ACL tears are no joke."

She sat on the bench next to him and shrugged. "It's not that bad," she lied. Her leg fucking hurt like a bitch, but the pain where her heart used to be was thirty times worse. "I just wanted to start working my muscles out. I can't let my upper body strength go to shit because I can't work one leg." Lauren leveled him with a stare, "What's your excuse?"

"Rachel went all psycho again," he frowned. "I needed to work some shit out before I saw her again."

"Why don't you just dump the chick," she asked testing the weight on the pull down bar, finding it just right she positioned her body and started pulling the bar behind her. "She's not good enough for you."

"I'm not dumping her before Prom," he scoffed, wiping his face with a towel. "That fucking dance was expensive and I have all my shit already. Unless I can find a replacement date, I'm waiting until after Prom."

She paused then let the weight slip from her hands with a loud clash. "Why don't we go together?"

"What about Puckerman?" he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Don't fucking act like you don't know," she hissed, angry at him for pretending. "The whole fucking school knows what happened."

He sighed, his dark brown eyes filled with shame, "Sorry, Ices. He's an idiot."

The exploding agony in her chest blew up again, "Yeah, he is."

Chuck watched her for a moment then stood, holding his hand out to her, "We'll be the hottest fucking couple at the Prom," he announced.

She grinned halfheartedly at him and nodded her head. Leaving the gym, and after changing back into her other clothes, she moved through the halls on her damn crutches. She never realized until she was talking with Chuck what it would be like to not go to Prom. She would be a loser. The chick that's boyfriend cheated on her right before the dance. But now she didn't have to worry about it because Prom was taken care of. (It would have also really sucked having to returning all the shit she bought. Hell it wouldn't just have sucked it would have been a major bitch)

So maybe life worked out for the best. Of course she still had Glee. Knowing Puck, he would try and sing some offensive song about her ass and expect her to forgive him. Fucking bullshit. (That reminded her, she needed to erase '_Fat Bottom Girls_' from her Ipod. She didn't even like that piece of shit song anyway.) She paused hallway between her classroom and the Glee room. There in front of her in all his fashion icon glory another piece to the puzzle- now Glee would be taken care of as well. Life worked out for the best, she thought again-ignoring the twisting of her heart.

Lauren could focus on getting her leg back to normal, she could focus on what was important. She didn't need Puck to distract her. She didn't need those Glee geeks in her life. She didn't need to worry about fittings and costumes and song selection and Berry being all high and mighty. Lauren didn't see the point in dancing to music that she normally would scoff at. She most definitely didn't need to be around people that only saw her as a placeholder until something better came along.

And that something better did come along. For Glee but not for Puck- stupid male skank! Kurt was back at William McKinley. Kurt was back and his boyfriend from Rachel's party was at his side. With him returning she could finally stop acting like she gave a fuck about show choir. It wasn't like she enjoyed herself while in that club. Yeah she sorta made a friend in Quinn, but like she told Puck that first night she performed with them- Glee was stupid. Life worked out for the best. She didn't need that pack of singing losers.

Stopping in front of Mr. Shue's office, she knocked on the door. He looked up from the papers on his desk, startled at her presence but waved her in, "Lauren what can I do for you?"

"I won't stay long," she said sitting down, only because her knee was screaming at her. "I just wanted to tell you I'm out."

"You're out," he drug the words out like they were the piece to some great mystery he was trying to solve. She resisted rolling her eyes at him. Sometimes he was the biggest moron of them all. "I don't understand."

"I saw Kurt in the halls. I know he'll be back in Glee at the end of the day," she arched her brow and he nodded, confirming Kurt had already stopped by. "So you don't need me to be a warm body anymore, I think that's what Berry called me. And frankly I need to focus on more important things, like my wrestling career. The hours in Glee would take precious time away from my physical therapy."

He clasped his hands together and leaned forward, "I thought you were enjoying yourself. You seemed to be getting into it and you did sing. Everyone enjoyed your song-."

"Please stop," she held up her hand and glared at him. "We both know that Glee isn't where I fit. It's where the others fit. I was just a way to get past the rule book so you could enter Regionals. Kurt's back and that guy he's with is with him. You'll have more than enough members."

She got up again and made her way slowly to the door. _It was for the best_, she told herself harshly. She wasn't going to miss that club at all. Mr. Shue called her name and she turned, "You know you were more than just a warm body to them right? You are more than that to them and to me."

Lauren swallowed but didn't answer. Life worked out for the best damn it! She didn't need any of them. She was better off without them. She opened the door to her right, which happened to be the janitor's closet and pressed her forehead against the wall. Her lungs wouldn't take in enough air, no matter how hard she tried to force them to. Her heart didn't seem to want to work right and her eyes filled with tears again. God when in the hell would she stop feeling like she was dying inside?

=-0-=

_Kurt was back!_

_The Glee kids and most of the school were thrilled by this. Kurt was missed. The new kid he brought with him was cute and it was soon revealed his name was Blaine. (Girls were dismayed to also learn that Kurt and Blaine were on the love train. Why are all the cute ones gay? They sighed.)_

_As news spread about his return another kernel of gossip was making waves. Pete- an assistant hydration specialist for the wrestling team (water boy in waiting) told Nick- who immediately texted Hilary- who ran to her friend, Carol's locker- who called everyone she could think of- that he overheard Lauren and Chuck talking and they have made plans to go to Prom together!_

_This confirmed that Luck was over. (A moment of silence was called for) And that Lauren was moving on. The new couple [some didn't believe they were a couple because Chuck and Lauren were friends and Kent said that he thought he saw Lauren start to cry before English class- this news was met with a lot of blank stares and some laughs] combo name was Curen. No one liked it as much, but it was the best they could come up with on such short notice._

_When asked her thoughts on the break up of Lauren and Puck and the possible hook up of Lauren and Chuck- Lauren like the names that ended in uck didn't she?- Rachel stared blankly at them and stomped off. She was heard saying very loudly to herself, why didn't anyone tell her anything!_

_There was a moment where all the kids that had cornered her wondered what was funnier- the fact that she was the last to know or the fact that someone managed to tape a __**kick me**__ sign on her back without her knowledge. Both were pretty hilarious. And the gossip continued to be passed on..._

=-0-=

She managed to avoid him all day with the exception of English class. He sat in his normal seat watching her. She looked amazing, her dark hair slightly curled. Her ruby lipstick perfect on her lips. She looked like nothing had happened. But then their eyes locked. It was only for a brief moment, not even half a second, but it was enough for him to see that she wasn't okay. Her outward appearance was false. Those blue orbs were angry and hurt and distant. They were red around the edges and he had seen enough girls cry to know what that meant. Lauren's lips curled in a snarl at him, maybe because she realized what she had let show and she immediately faced front again.

The angry expression wasn't what stayed with him for the rest of the day. It was those eyes. It was the red tint, the hallow emptiness, the hurt. It was all the things that she never wanted him to see but he recognized because he saw the very same emotions in his own eyes. The classes seemed endless. One dragging into another. Teachers talked, students whispered, the sounds blended. He wanted the day to end so badly. He wanted to corner her and force her to understand that he never meant to be such a fucking loser. He wanted to go back in time.

Puck sighed as he made his way to the Glee room. He would see her again in there and as much as it hurt to see her right now, it was a pain he could handle. He swallowed hard. Chuck was standing at his locker which was a couple from the Glee room. Puck waved in his direction, but stopped when Lauren's friend called his name. The dark boy licked his lips and sighed, "I don't need to explain and I probably shouldn't care about your feelings since you hurt Lauren but she-"

"What about Lauren," Puck interrupted. His heart was alternating between slamming against his ribcage and falling to his feet. The combination was making him slightly dizzy. "Did she hurt her knee again? Is she okay?"

"Slow down, Puckerman," Chuck held up his hand and slanted his eyes at him. "You really do care about her, don't you?" Puck didn't answer and he didn't think Chuck expected him to, "So why did you do something so fucking stupid?" Another question without an answer. The darker boy sighed, "Lauren's knee is the same. She's not okay, but she'll never admit that. What I was trying to tell you is, Lauren and I are going to Prom together." Puck's stomach joined his heart around his feet. She wasn't wasting any time. And he couldn't blame her. It was his fault. "I know the way this fucking school is about gossip, especially lately when it has to do with you two. I'm sure it's already being spread that I'm going with her and I didn't want you to hear it like that." Puck swallowed and looked away, nodding his head.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever," Chuck started to walk off then stopped. "You know if you were smart, you'd try to win her back."

"I think it's too late for that," he told the other guy. "She made it quite clear she wants nothing to do with me."

A hallow laugh came from Chuck, "Man you really are an idiot when it comes to her. She's pissed and hurt right now, but that doesn't change the fact that she cares about you. Lauren is really good about keeping everyone and everything away when things get hard. That's what makes her so strong, that's how she continued to wrestle when the rest of us would have stopped as soon as we felt the pain in our knees. She's bad ass in every way. She thinks she doesn't need anyone else because of it." He shook his head. "Maybe she's wrong. You fucked up big time, but maybe you can fix more than your mistake where she's concerned."

He watched Chuck walk down the hall, his words swimming in his head. He wasn't sure he knew what they meant, but he did understand one part of the conversation for sure: Maybe he could get her back. He continued on his way to the classroom, his stomach turning violently the closer he got. He peeked in the window of the door and saw most of his friends already there, but he didn't see Lauren. The tightness in his chest clenched harder. Puck pushed the door open, walking in. Rachel stood in front of everyone, her small hands on her hips.

"I just don't understand why no one told me about them," many of the eyes in the room got wide when they saw him standing behind her, some heads started shaking 'no' to Rachel, but she continued. "I mean really their break up effects me too."

"How in the hell does my break up with Lauren effect you," he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Uh," she twisted around quickly, a deer-in-the-headlights expression on her face and she interlocked her fingers together. Her brown eyes narrowed then she sighed loudly, after the embarrassment of being caught talking about him wore off, as if the answer should be obvious. "Well, look," she waved behind her.

He did. Nothing seemed wrong. His eyes moved over each person in the class. He stopped at Kurt sitting next to Blaine, he nodded his head in their direction, they responded by waving. It was then that he noticed there was something missing. Someone was missing. An empty seat. His heart dropped to his feet again. "Where's Lauren?"

Santana smirked, raising her eyebrows at him. Sam cracked his knuckles nervously. Artie and Brittany avoided looking at him. Kurt shrugged, picking at the lint on his pants- lint Puck was sure wasn't there. Blaine looked down. Finn frowned at him. Mike and Tina studied dry erase board behind him. Mercedes rolled her eyes at him, scoffing silently to herself.

"She's not in the club anymore," Quinn said leaning back and crossing her arms. "She told me at lunch that she needed to focus on getting back on the wrestling mat." Her eyes narrowed. "Of course she wouldn't look me in the eye when I asked if it was really because she couldn't be around you."

The room went silent and all eyes turned to him. His dropped to the ground. How was he supposed to win someone back that didn't want to be anywhere near him? What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

=-0-=

_Lauren and Puck were out as the couple everyone wanted to know about. [But the school was still pretty obsessed with everything relating to them. Man they need to get back together- Linda whispered to Wayne, who was trying to get some under the bleachers. He was left very frustrated, because Linda was too depressed to give him what he wanted. She liked Luck, even made a wallpaper for one of the sites dedicated to them.]_

_Kurt and Blaine were in. [Cute boys kissing can be hot, Sydney commented to Kendall while watching the two kiss quickly in the halls. Kendall nodded her head in agreement but then added- they're too normal. Luck was just bizarre magic! A couple of people around them overheard her statement and agreed. Where were they going to find that level of entertainment now?]_

_Puck was dateless to Prom, if he was going at all. (Single girls [and some with boyfriends] immediately started planning how they were going to get the bad ass's attention.) No one dared to tell anyone their plans to get him for fear that Lauren would kick their asses. _

_Time ticked by. Students moved through the halls. It was a normal day. But nothing was the same. The very thing that confused the school, also united it and now that was gone. Everyone felt it. The difference. The geeks weren't interacting with the jocks. The popular ones didn't look at the unpopular ones. There was no reason to because there wasn't a common denominator anymore. _

_The world was right again. _

_The end wasn't coming._

_They should be happy about that... but they weren't. They wanted the tilted-askew-wacky world back. _

_And Prom was two days away..._

=-0-=


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow  
**Feedback:** Please and thank you 

* * *

**_Thank you so much for all the support everyone has given me. You all are amazing and I'm constantly awed by all of your lovely comments. I really hope you like this chapter. Please let me know. Thanks!_**

* * *

=-0-=

The night before Prom was spent in Quinn's room. She insisted on having a sleep-over to ensure they all made it to their appointments (hair, nails, waxing- Lauren blanched when Quinn mentioned that one, but somehow the tiny blonde got her to agree- pay back was already being planned, make-up, etc.) Lauren pulled her sleeping bag closer to the window and leaned against the wall watching the others gossip. Kurt, Mercedes, Quinn and Tina sat in a semi-circle, legs folded under them or in an Indian style as they flipped through magazines, did each others hair and ate junk food. For her part, Lauren observed the way they interacted with each other. She didn't know how to get involved in their conversations. It wasn't like she had never been invited to a slumber party. [She wasn't a fucking leper.] It was the fact that the last one she was involved in was set up by Sue "the evil cheer leading coach bitch from hell" Sylvester. Lauren tried to suppress her shudder. That seemed like such a long time ago.

Now she knew Berry and while she would never consider the girl her friend, she kinda understood her better. Kinda. And a part of her regretted taking part in that fucking sleep-over. Lauren leaned forward and grabbed a hand full of buttery popcorn, popping some into her mouth, chewing slowly. Quinn stood from her position next to Mercedes and came over to where she was. Plopping down in a way that Lauren found humorous, it was completely ungraceful, the blonde brought her knees up to her chest and rested her folded arms on them. Quinn stared at her while she stared back, continuing to eat the popcorn slowly, challenging her friend. Lauren waited for her to speak, knowing it wouldn't be long before she did.

Sighing dramatically, Quinn glared at her, eyes narrowing slightly, "Why don't you just call him?"

Lauren arched her eyebrow, very much aware the others in the room were paying close attention to her answer, "Call him. Which _him_ are you referring to? I have many of them on speed dial." Quinn dropped her head, narrowing her eyes even further. Every part of Lauren wanted to break eye contact. To pretend the color of her walls was the most interesting thing in the world. To pretend she wasn't extremely uncomfortable with the eyes and the ears that were focused on her. Of course she didn't break eye contact. She was a competitor. She never backed down. That's how she got hurt, because she refused to admit defeat. She opened her mouth slightly, placing another piece of popcorn on her tongue and slowly chewed. "I have so many some are given nicknames because I can't remember their real ones."

Quinn's sweetheart mouth curled at the corners then she nodded. It was Lauren's turn to narrow her eyes. The blonde didn't usually give up that quick. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she watched Quinn calmly stand. Maybe it was the injury to her leg causing brain sensors to malfunction or the pain pills that she only took when completely necessary or whatever, but she never thought the ex-cheerio would rush to her purse and grab her phone.

"Fuck," she mumbled as she struggled to get up, once again cursing not only her crutches but the brace on her leg as well. She hobbled over to Quinn who was dancing on the balls of her feet, ready to jump at any moment. "Give it back, barbie!"

Her friend, although at this point Lauren was now thinking of her as a frienemy, pretended to consider her request then shook her head. Her blonde ponytail swaying back and forth coming to land on her shoulder. "I don't think so. Mercedes call Lauren's phone for me. I wanna hear her ring tone real quick."

Mercedes got a shit eating grin on her face and calmly pulled her cell out. All the blood drained from Lauren's face and the only thought that stood out was 'fuck me'. She knew what was about to happen. She just fucking prayed that the ringer was turned off or down so low no one would hear it. The black girl, climbed up on the bed, sitting on the end, locking eyes with Lauren and tilted her head. "Ringing."

The chorus of '_Somebody to Love_' came from the tiny phone. All the girls looked at her with smirks while Kurt arched his brow. "Is that annoying Bieber song supposed to mean something?"

Quinn took a seat next to the only boy and grinned up at Lauren, "Oh that's right, you weren't there for it. Well," she drew the word out and Lauren glared hotly at her. If looks could in fact kill, the blonde would be on a slab in some Medical Examiner's office right then. The part that really got to her was that Quinn just grinned at her and continued. She really wasn't fucking scared of her anymore. None of the Glee kids were. Fuck! "About three months ago, Puck started chasing our very own Ms. Zizes. He sang, '_Fat Bottom Girls_' to her during Valentine's week," Kurt pulled a face at the song choice, "I know," Quinn rolled her eyes and for the first time since her friends decided to turn on her, Lauren had to smother a grin. "He's such a dumb ass. But anyway, that song didn't make Lauren fall at his feet."

Lauren scoffed, "Like any song could."

Tina picked up the story from there, "At the same time, Quinn and Sam were having problems," Quinn looked uncomfortable with that part of the story. If Lauren wasn't so pissed off she would almost feel sorry for her. "Sam decided to sing a Beiber song to her. It was a huge hit with all of us. Who knew that JB could be so sexy?"

Mercedes slid her phone shut and rolled her eyes, "Hey I didn't jump on that crazy train. That was all you." Kurt grinned at her. "If I'm going to swoon over a guy, it ain't gonna to be some 12 year old looking boy with floppy hair. It's going to be a solid, fine looking man."

"This is why you are the Lady to my Gaga, Mercedes," Kurt smirked at her.

"Back to the story," Quinn laughed, climbing on the bed next to Mercedes, "The rest of the boys in Glee decided to join the band too, well except for Finn, but that's a whole different story for a different time."

"Puck even wore a hair piece attached to a hoodie for the show," Tina laughed, biting into a twizzler.

"They sang, '_Somebody to Love_,' that day," Mercedes finished. "The second song Puck sang to Lauren in as many weeks."

"Hence the significance of Lauren's ring tone." Tina concluded.

Kurt stood up and looked at Lauren in the eye. It was the first time they have actually looked at each other. Before he left, she wasn't part of their group. They didn't cross paths much or really at all. He knew of her. She of him, but that's where the knowledge ended. Now they had things, people, in common, but they were still strangers to each other. His perfectly arched brow lifted and he smiled at her.

"I never would have pegged you for a romantic, Zizes," his smile shifted into a smirk.

"That's because I'm not, Hummel," she was quick to deny, despite the evidence of her ring tone. She was relieved they didn't go through the pictures on her phone. Fucking hell, she needed to erase that shit before they did. Especially that one where Puck was shirtless, laying on her bed while he kissed up and down her neck. She had to fight hard to suppress the shiver that was dying to shake her body.

"I beg to differ," he said coolly.

"Oh, I'll make you beg alright," she tried to be menacing, but knew the words weren't sharp enough for that. Damn! She actually liked him.

He shrugged. "Whatever," he squinted his eye at her. "So do you want him back?"

"The dickhead, asshat cheated on me," Lauren huffed, returning to her sleeping bag. Her voice dropped and she muttered under her breath, "Why would I want him back?"

"Because you love him," Kurt replied in bored tone.

"The shit you say," she glared. "I don't love him." She thanked whoever was listening that her voice didn't shake, even as her heart broke a little more. It was getting easier to pretend. The wall she had been building even before Puck kissed that skank getting thicker with each passing second. It was becoming second nature to her to act like he never- hasn't ever- meant anything to her. As natural as breathing. He meant nothing. They meant nothing. Keep repeating. Make it so. "He was barely worth my time. I did him a favor by staying with him for so long."

His blue eyes twinkled knowingly at her. He didn't believe her for a moment. "While I'm sure you did do him a favor," he looked at his nails, grimacing slightly before returning his gaze to hers. "I still think you're in love with him. And dumb ass that he is, he loves you too. You should have seen his face when he realized you weren't in Glee anymore."

Lauren swallowed, feeling very exposed. Now she remembered when she stayed the fuck away from slumber parties. This sharing your feelings shit wasn't for her. She thought briefly about gathering her stuff and leaving. The thought was immediately replaced by a voice in her head calling her a wuss, a voice that sounded a lot like Nathan. Easing herself onto the ground by her sleeping bag again, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, suddenly very tired. Mercedes climbed off the bed and sat down at her side.

"Listen," the diva started, "we're not trying to make you feel...whatever it is your feeling. By the look you're giving us, you're one pissed off chick." Lauren smirked. If only that were true. Anger was easy. "But I do think that Puck regrets what he did. He really digs you. He has never been the way he is with you with anyone. Not me- when we dated for a second."

"Not me even when I was pregnant with Beth, although he did try," Quinn ducked her head at the thought of her daughter. "It was the closest to serious he has ever been before he started dating you, chasing after you."

"He was never like that with Santana," Tina said around another piece of licorice. "Or Brittany, but then again, I think those were screw buddies."

"Rachel didn't get this treatment either," Kurt informed her. Lauren's eyebrows came together. "Oh yeah they dated too. She was doing her, '_Oh Finn will never love me, wah, wah_' thing," he rolled his eyes. The words weren't said with bitterness, just pure sarcasm. Lauren fought the smirk that was working it's way to her lips. She really liked him. "And he decided that he wanted to date a fellow Jew." Kurt combed his fingers through his hair. "Needless to say, they only lasted like a week."

"This little trip down Puck's a male whore lane isn't making me want to get back together with him as much as it just proves how much I was right to dump his ass. He has the attention span of gold fish. Something shiny comes his way and he's gone. Or I guess it's really, something slutty."

"I think you're missing the point," Tina commented, curling her legs underneath her and raising to her knees, sitting down on them. "The point is, he isn't distracted by the slutty. He knows what he did was stupid. And the truth is, he didn't kiss her. She kissed him."

"Doesn't change anything," Lauren stubbornly said, "We're done. And I'm happy about it. Thrilled in fact. I mean someone as hot as me needs to be free." She kept her eyes averted and grabbed a fistful of popcorn, once again slowly eating the snack.

No one believed her, but they also knew that they weren't going to get through to her right then. The topic of conversation turned toward Prom and Kurt's new guy. Lauren was relieved to finally be out of the spotlight.

=-0-=

_One mystery was solved by Mal, a fellow baseball player on Puck's team. It was by complete accident that he found out who sent the link of Lauren dancing in that school play. He was at the arcade with his girlfriend, Jannie, when he overheard two guys talking. One was tall and large, like a fucking brick wall and the other was smaller and more compact. They were talking about the chick on the McKinley High wrestling team. That of course caught Mal's attention. He pulled out his cell, ready to post to the Facebook wall. And that's when he heard it. Immediately he told Jannie, who called her friend, Barbara, who tweeted to her friend's list, who spread the word in whatever way they could._

_The link was sent out to everyone by Hank. A guy most didn't know, but was in the AV club with Lauren. Supposedly Trina heard from Louise who knew Hank and confronted him that he did it because he wanted the bad asses to break up. He always had a crush on Lauren. Had even gotten to second base with her. He later admitted that that only happened by accident and she punched him after ward breaking his nose, but it was totally worth it. Her boobs were like EPIC._

_Jake laughed to Mark that he knew it as they high fived. One day he was going to rock that bitch's world. Mark's girlfriend, Polly, rolled her eyes and told him he would have to go through Puck first. Jake swallowed then shrugged, he wasn't worried. He did however look over his shoulder for the rest of the night._

_With Prom so close, everyone was anxious. They couldn't wait to see who would be King and Queen... and who would spike the punch. _

=-0-=

It wasn't easy talking to Finn at the moment. With cheating being such an issue between them in the past, it often felt like he was in the principal's office at the mention of his kiss with that chick that wasn't Lauren. Although now, Finn didn't really have any moral high ground to stand on. He helped Quinn cheat on Sam. So Finn could stop being such a prick as far as he was concerned. Puck clicked his lighter on, watching the flame dance as Finn sat next to him on the bed of his truck.

The silence between them got thicker and thicker. He rolled his shoulder, annoyed that Finn was annoyed with him. As if losing Lauren wasn't enough, now he had to deal with his best friend's shit. He flicked the lighter close and jumped down from the tailgate, kicking at the dirt with his shoes. "Fuck, Finn," he hissed. "It's not like I planned on hurting her. I just-"

Finn arched his eyebrow, resting his hands on his knees, "You just what? What the hell was going through your head, Puck?" He continued without giving him the chance to speak, which was a good thing because he didn't really have an answer, at least not one he was going to say out loud to another dude. The only person he might tell it to would be Lauren and that was only if she gave him the chance without twisting him up into a pretzel. "You had a good thing with Lauren. You two seemed to be happy together- which granted freaked me out a little because she wasn't your normal type."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean," Finn licked his lips for a second, his eyes moving quickly as he tried to find the right words, "I mean, she forced you to be better. This relationship was good for you man. It was good for the both of you. The other girls you were with," he shrugged, "just didn't bring this out in you." He sighed, shaking his head. "I just don't get it."

"What's there to get?" Puck picked up a stick and flicked his lighter open again, holding the wood over the flame. "I'm a fuck up. And Lauren's better off without me. She's already found someone else to go to Prom with. I'm not meant to be in a relationship. I knew that before and now she does to." The fire crawled down the stick toward his fingers. He threw it to the ground and smothered the flame with the sand from the road. Shaking his head, he slid his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. "You still going stag to the Prom?"

His friend nodded, "Quinn thinks it's better if we don't show up together. Especially with all the free time the gossip hounds have on their hands now that you screwed up your relationship with Lauren." He smirked as Puck glared at him. Sighing he continued, "I don't know why it bothers her so much. Rachel isn't happy about us being together but she has a date from what I heard and Sam has definitely moved on to Santana..."

"Yeah," Puck shook his head, "Let's hope Mr. Trouty lips doesn't get too attached to Santana." Finn arched his eyebrow at the slight warning in his tone, he shrugged. "Santana has a wandering eye," he shrugged again, not about to say anything else. Santana and Brittany's ...whatever was their business and he had enough drama without adding one pissed off Latina to the list. "I just hope he doesn't think she's going to change anytime soon and especially for him."

"That's kind of an ironic statement coming from you."

His stomach dropped, the blade of cold realization slid into his heart. Santana and him were the same. They worked because both knew the score. Neither put that much effort into their relationship...oh fuck that, it wasn't a relationship, it was all about sex. Careless, needy, get your rocks off sex. No emotions. Hardly any eye contact. Leave when the last bit of euphoria diminished and never look back. That's when life was easy. That's when he didn't feel like his insides were being turned up with knives. That's when he could move on without a second thought. That was before Lauren shook him up and left him completely empty inside.

Clearing his throat, he climbed back on the bed of his truck causing the vehicle to bounce slightly. "That's how I know that he shouldn't get his hopes up. She's probably cheated on him already." His smile turned into a bitter smirk. "Can't fight your true nature."

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Finn shake his head, "I don't believe that."

"Well then Finny bear," Puck slapped him on the shoulder and glanced at him with a mocking look of pity. "You're even more delusional then I originally thought." Pulling his keys out of his pocket he rounded the truck and climbed in the driver's side. He waited until Finn closed the tailgate and got in beside him before he cranked the engine.

"You know, I'm not wrong about you and Lauren," Finn told him. "And I can't believe you aren't going to even try to get her back. Chuck isn't who she wants. He's her friend and she's using him to make you sweat." His friend shrugged, "And probably to make you pay a little for hurting her."

"Okay," Puck rolled his shoulders to work out the tension and guilt. "This shit has to stop. I'm not spilling my guts out to you Dr. Phil." His fingers twisted the volume up on his stereo to drown out any protests that might come from the other side of the car.

He dropped Finn off at his house, waving to him before he pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street. Puck tried to get Finn's words- the fucking pussy- out of his head. But he couldn't. The truth was he was miserable and tired of not having Lauren in his life and it's only been two days. How the hell was he supposed to last the rest of the year or his life without her?

Last night he dreamed that she was next to him. Her body, all warm and curvy, pressed against his. Her breath hot and moist on his chest. Her voice filled with laughter as she called his name while he tickled her side, just under her ribcage. Her fingers curled into his short hair, tugging lightly, urging him to go further. It all felt so real. His heart pounded in his chest, in time with hers, racing, beating, blending together. It was perfect... It made him forget what a complete ass he was. In the early morning light, while his mother fucking alarm was going off, in that wonderful haze of awake but still asleep- he truly believed she was next to him.

It was only when he reached for her and found nothing but cold sheets, that reality came crashing down on him again. Lauren wasn't there. She wasn't curled against him. Breathing the same air he was. She wasn't laughing or saying his name in that husky way she does when she's turned on or barely awake. Her warmth wasn't pressing into him, making his heart race.

No the only thing his heart did was break just a tiny bit more. He eased the truck to a stop and looked around him. His head started hurting. A base drum banging louder and louder. Looking up, he searched for her in her window. Puck didn't know how he got here but here he was. The light was off. There was no sign of life. He desperately wanted to see her, her shadow, something. He wanted her. His head came to rest on the curve of his steering wheel and he closed his eyes. Finn was right. He had to get her back.

A song came on the radio and he listened to the lyrics. It was like the words were written for him. Everything he was feeling. Everything he was thinking. Puck turned up the music, leaning back. A small smile curled his lips. He had a plan now. He just needed some help. Time to call the Glee kids together. They had a lot of stuff to do and not much time to do it.

Puck punched the accelerator, squealing his tires as he drove toward his home.

=-0-=

_Artie got the phone call from Puck and texted Mike, who called Tina, who subtly whispered to Quinn and Mercedes while Kurt distracted Lauren with tips on how to dress- because strips and plaids don't go together, oh and don't even get him started on polka-dots. Mercedes texted Blaine and then Sam, who told Santana while she...um...worked on him, who immediately jumped off the bed to call Brittany. Brittany IM'd Finn._

_Emergency meeting of the Glee group! _

_It was time to get the freak-show back together._

_Puck got ten texts back telling him that they were in._

_Artie pushed his wheelchair to his computer and logged on. He had some work to do..._

_On the other side of town, Roger posted that Puck had been sitting outside Lauren's house. Pictures accompanied the status update. _

_The facebook crowd was thrilled. Did this mean Luck was headed for a reunion? Or was Curen on the horizon? Or was Lauren going to have a threesome with Chuck and Puck?- Kenny got slapped by his girlfriend for posting that. He deleted the comment, but with the internet, nothing is truly gone. _

_The threesome comment turned into a rumor which quickly spread._

_Oh how they missed this! _

=-0-=


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow  
**Feedback:** Please and thank you  
**A/N:** Please forgive all mistakes.

=-0-=

**_A/N: Thank you so much to all of you that have reviewed this story. I'm so sorry for my lack of responses and the lack of updates. Life has gotten crazier than usual and it doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon. Goodness I remember a time when summer meant complete relaxation... I miss those days. Anyway: Please know I'm extremely grateful to all of you that have read and replied to this story. You all are amazing and I'm so blessed to have such kind words written about the chapters. Thanks again. **hugs**_**

=-0-=

Standing in front of Sam's mirror, Puck pulled at the bow tie. His finger curled into the space between his neck and the collar of the white pressed shirt. He felt like a chump. A complete and utter idiot in the suit, but Quinn told him that he had to wear it or she wasn't going to help him. He rolled his shoulders, trying like hell to get comfortable. Fuck! He hated this shit. Finn slapped his hand away from his collar. Puck glared at him, his hand tightening into a fist. His friend just rolled his eyes and smoothed his hands down the front of his own shirt. "It's for one night, dude," he muttered.

Puck's lips curled, a grimace settling on his face. "Not even a night. I'm not staying in this fucking monkey suit any longer than I have to. Nothing is worth this shit."

"Not even Lauren," Sam asked coming up behind them. Finn smirked at him in the mirror. He had no answer so he worked on making his Mohawk as bad ass as possible, as if it could be anything but. "Guess that answers that question." The blonde ran a comb through his longer hair and smiled at his reflection. "What time is the limo coming to pick us up?"

"In an hour," Artie rolled in, a bowler hat tilted over one eye. His tie was left undone and he didn't look like he had any intention of remedying that problem any time soon. Puck's fingers closed around his own tie once again, and once again it got slapped away.

He turned all his frustration and nerves- not that he would ever fucking admit to being nervous- on Artie. "What the fuck, man? Why do you get to leave this noose undone while I have to suffer?"

Artie calmly crossed his arms over his lap and shrugged, "I didn't do anything monumentally stupid three days before prom. Can you say the same?" The bathroom went silent. Sam held a hand over his large mouth, his eyes like saucers. Finn ducked his head, messing with his cufflinks. Puck swallowed. The arrow definitely hit the mark. Artie sighed, his cheeks growing red. "Look man, I'm sorry that was a low blow."

"Yeah," he hissed at his friend. "It was." He slowly inhaled as much air as he could, counting to twenty in his head, before letting it back out again. His stomach was doing flips. His blood was simmering. Puck was pissed. Pissed at Artie for his comment. Pissed because he wasn't wrong in making it. Pissed that he really shouldn't be pissed. It was his mess. His mistake, but damn it, he was going to fix it! Mike came in and immediately stopped in the doorway. His eyes moving between them all, obviously sensing the tension. "Listen, I'm going to say this once, so you better pay attention," he placed his hands on his hips and blew out another breath, "I know what I did was stupid. I know that Lauren may not forgive me and even if she does, she won't forget or ever let me forget. I don't need you all reminding me of what a shithead I was, I need you all to help me. If you don't want to do that," he shrugged, feeling extremely uncomfortable, "tell me now."

"Man," Finn moved to stand by his side and clapped his shoulder. "All of us want you to be happy. We're in. Right guys?"

"Yeah," Mike said with a lopsided grin. "I'm in. In fact I'm psyched." His jubilant expression and reaction made Puck smirk. He held out his fist for Mike to bump.

"We got your back," Sam said.

Puck looked at Artie and who nodded. "You know it." He wheeled closer to Puck and looked up at him. "Despite what I just said, I do think you have a shot at getting her back." He smiled slightly, "After all you did help me get Brittany back after I did something stupid."

This statement made Puck's smirk shift into a full grin. "Yes, I did. You owe me, dude. You owe me big time."

"I think today will make us even," Artie rolled his eyes. "Especially with what I had to do and will have to do in your little plan." He moved his hat on his head, just as a horn honked outside. "Alright! Is everyone ready?" Each guy checked out their appearance in the mirror one more time before leaving the bathroom one by one. Sam smoothed out the wrinkles of his black jacket, checking his teeth and then he grabbed the red rose corsage that was bought for Santana. Finn had a daisy pinned to his lapel and grabbed a matching flower corsage from the back of the toilet. Mike spun his way out of the door way and lifted up on his toes. Artie watched him then turned his head to stare at him. Puck messed with his tie again, grimacing as he felt the ribbon around his neck tighten...or maybe that was just his imagination. Artie rolled further into the bathroom, sighing. "I am sorry for what I said."

Puck shrugged. He wasn't going to stress about that. He had other things to stress about, namely getting back together with a girl that could kick his ass without breaking a sweat...and why was that such a fucking hot image to him? He shook his head and forcibly removed his fingers from the bow tie. He couldn't wait to take off this fucking monkey outfit. But if wearing it will help him get Lauren back, he could handle it. Puck wrapped his left hand around the plastic container holding the flower bracelet Quinn said to buy for Lauren. She told him that it would match Lauren's dress. He never got a chance to see it, even while with her. She told him that she wanted to knock his socks off and make it so he wanted to skip the dance and spend the night locked in a hotel room. The thought of that, of what could have happened if only he had kept his fucking hands and lips to himself, made him shiver. Oh shit. He needed to set this right. Now.

"Save your 'sorrys' for your girlfriend later tonight when you're too drunk to get it up," Puck smirked at Artie. Artie shook his head and raised his fist up. Puck bumped it quickly then helped him out of the bathroom. The trip toward the front door was filled with barbs and jokes between the two of them. It made his shoulders relax to not think about what could happen within the next couple of hours. The front door was open, Puck rolled Artie to a stop on the stoop. The gleaming black limo sitting on the street against the curb was slick, long and rich looking. He rolled his lips together, licking at the seam with the tip of his tongue. His hands twitched a little on the handles of his friend's chair. His upbringing never allowed for much. A special treat for him was a deluxe hungry man TV dinner, so to stand so close to something like a limo, something that screamed- money, made his insides jump. He gently pushed Artie toward the vehicle and started walking toward his old beat up Ford. "I'll see you guys there," he called out.

Sam and Mike poked their heads out of the moon roof while Finn paused in helping Artie get in. "What are you talking about, Puck?" Mike asked as he leaned further out.

"I'm not riding with you," he opened his driver's side door. "You're picking up the girls," he swallowed thickly, "and Lauren's date."

"So," Sam pressed. Puck could see that he was already connecting the dots, but wanted clarification anyway.

"So, I don't fucking feel like being stuck in a limo with Lauren and Chuck," he growled out. Four sets of eyes narrowed at him. "What?"

"Are you really jealous of Chuck?" Mike asked. "Because that's crazy. He's helping us. He wants Lauren to get back with you."

Puck blew out a breath. Yes Chuck was helping. Yes Puck knew that the other guy wasn't really a threat, but it still pissed him off that Lauren would be dancing with him. It made him want to punch someone thinking of her laughing at his jokes and telling him some of her own. It was supposed to be him and it would be, but not right away. Mother fucker! His hands curled into fists and he rested them on his hips as he tried to think of a way to explain his thoughts to his friends. He quickly gave up trying to come up with the words. They couldn't understand. They wouldn't understand. Puck looked toward the sky and took another deep breath.

Very quietly, so quietly he hoped no one heard him, he said, "I can't, guys. I just can't." The statement made him feel vulnerable and stupid and like a fucking pussy. He looked at Finn and saw a flicker of pity, an emotion he really didn't need or fucking want. Turning away he climbed into his truck and slammed the door as hard as he could. Anger pulsing through his veins, warming the blood. Rolling down the window he stuck his head out the opening, "I'll see you at Prom."

He squealed the tires as he drove off. He didn't mean to do it- okay maybe he did, because it sounded awesome and made him feel like an even bigger bad ass- he just wanted the discussion to end. And Puck wanted it to end on his terms. He knew that whatever happened tonight would be out of his control, something he hated, so right now he was going to revel in the little bit of control he had.

Twisting the volume on the radio he thumped his thumbs against the steering wheel in time with the beat. The guys were taking their dates to Breadstix before Prom, Puck wasn't going there. Not only did the thought of food make him feel like he was going to vomit- in a totally manly and bad ass way- he also had things to do. Pulling up to the curb he waited for his hook up to arrive. He rolled his shoulders, his eyes moving from mirror to mirror and window to window. The dark alley behind the local bowling alley was creepy and dimly lit. He cracked his knuckles, trying to force himself to relax.

Lima was pretty small. The good parts of town and the bad parts were very close together. The front of the bowling alley faced main street and the good, upstanding sections of their lame ass town- while the back, well the back faced a darker part. Puck didn't feel fear much. The bad dudes that walked in the shadows knew of him and he knew them. He knew which to talk to, which to stay as far away from as possible and which were good for finding things he needed. A guy moved behind his truck, dressed in a hoodie and a pair of dirty jeans. He kept his head hidden in the back of his jacket, his hands in his pockets.

Puck leaned forward and pulled the money out of his wallet, folding it neatly in his palm. His hook up made it to his door and they looked at each other for a moment, finally the guy smiled, "You have the weirdest requests."

"Did you get it," Puck said, careful to keep his voice low.

"Yeah," the other man said, holding out his hand, palm facing the sky. Pay first, that was the deal. Puck slapped the money into the guy's hand. He smiled, shoving the money in his pocket and holding out a folded paper bag to Puck, who took it quickly, glancing at the mirrors again. "Have to admit it was easier to get this time."

Puck nodded. "Thanks."

"You ever going to tell me why you need it."

"Nope," he said already rolling up the window. "Thanks again man."

"Yeah," his hook up nodded. "No problem. Nice doing business with you kid."

He drove out of the alley and headed west toward the Jackson hotel, that's where the William McKinley prom was being held. There were already some cars parked in the lot. His truck rumbled to a stop and he leaned back in his seat. Closing his eyes, he took several uneasy breaths to get his nerves under control.

=-0-=

_Prom._

_Moments away. Dresses were being pulled on, zipped up. Tuxes and suits were being put on. Pictures were snapped. Time stopped on a sim card, or a memory stick so they could share the experience with everyone. _

_Small purses hang from wrists. Girls giggled and grinned as corsages were pinned to dresses or slid onto wrists. Kisses were shared between dates, high fives between friends, glances between people that wanted more. Limos moved through the town. Rented cars parked in front of restaurants. Screams of joy filled the air._

_Students laughed. It was their night. _

_Thoughts of others drifted in and out. But gossip still proved as important as what music would play at the dance. Everyone wanted to know- who the hell was Prom king and queen and would Lauren be with Chuck or will Puck make a triumphant return. Bets were being placed. So far Luck v. 1 was winning out over Luck 2.0- some students were annoyed by that name- others thought it was freaking hilarious. Lauren really needed to stay away from the boys with uck names. Matty volunteered to break the cycle while talking with his friend Jimmie. _

=-0-=

Lauren looked at her reflection, she arched her newly waxed eyebrow showing off her perfectly made up eyes. The dramatic eye make up set off her dress, making her eyes look cat-like and her ruby lipstick made her lips look even fuller. She felt even sexier. Sliding her hands down her midnight blue dress, she enjoyed the feel of the material. Silky, smooth, clinging to her luscious curves, but it was still loose enough to hide her brace. She was going to try and go it without her crutches tonight. Her doctor could kiss her ass. Kurt, Blaine, Mercedes, Tina, and Quinn were waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, she pulled on the door knob, walking out slowly. Her black converse, she wasn't going to even attempt to wear fucking heels, squeaked a little on the tile floor, signaling to everyone she was ready.

Kurt tilted his head, eyes traveling down her body in a critical way, while he rubbed his thumb along Blaine's hand. "You look good Zizes."

She smirked. She eyed his unique take on a tux- a suit jacket that was checkered print, a white shirt with tight black pants and faux leather riding boots- and nodded her head at him, "You don't look too bad either, Hummel." Her eyes moved over to his boyfriend. Blaine's classic tux with a thin black tie looked gorgeous on him. Lauren grinned. "And you," she pointed to Blaine, "look hot." She turned back to Kurt. "You definitely picked a fine man." Kurt grinned and Blaine blushed.

"Thank you, Lauren," the dark haired teen said softly. The blush in his cheeks made her want to laugh. She loved making people slightly uncomfortable. "That dress looks incredible on you. The blue really brings out your eyes."

Lauren didn't blush, so the heat in her cheeks wasn't that, it was because the room was warm- very warm. If the others noticed the redness of her face- because of the hotness of the fucking house- they didn't mention it. It was then that she realized that she had made friends. Real friends in that stupid Glee club. Siuch a weird thing to realize while standing in a floor length blue dress, but that was life. Quinn- who had chosen to wear a pink gown with a halter top and long, thin silver earrings- moved to her vanity and opened her jewelry box, pulling out a simple silver bracelet that had some small charms hanging from it. She walked over to Lauren and grinned.

"We all agreed that while this dress has a nice amount of bling," Lauren glanced down at the diamond like stones that crossed under her breasts, around her middle and over her shoulders. "It needs more." Lauren noticed her friend's eyes turn a bit wicked. "A princess needs to look almost as good as her Queen."

"Let me guess," Lauren arched her brow, "You're the Queen?"

"Damn straight!" Quinn said, holding out the bracelet.

"Hate to break it to you," she crossed her arms over her chest, "but the crown is mine."

"We'll see," the blonde shrugged. "Wear the bracelet."

"I," she shook her head. "I don't want to. And don't give me orders."

"We will hold you down," Kurt sounded bored from his position on the bed. "I was really hoping it wouldn't come to that though. Don't want to ruin my outfit or my hair."

"You should wear it Lauren," Mercedes- who was rocking an emerald green dress- chimed in from the other side of the room where she was looking out the window. "And do it quickly. The guys are going to be here soon."

"What's so important about this bracelet?" Lauren questioned, suddenly getting suspicious.

"It's important," Tina responded as she moved closer to her. Lauren smiled at the girl's dress. It had a purple corset top with black ribbing and folds of purple and black fabric that reached the floor. Her pointed toe lace up, high heeled boots peeked out when she walked. "Because we're all wearing one," she held up her wrist to show off hers- the others followed suit. "It's a Glee bonding thing."

"I'm not in Glee anymore," Lauren said, trying to ignore the slightly punch of pain that hit her in her gut.

"You're still one of us, though," Blaine said softly.

There was a moment, just one because that's all she would allow herself, where her body actually felt light and warm. His words; as simple as they were, touched her, made her want to change her decision and return to the club that accepted her without her even knowing they had. Her words to Mr. Schuester came back to her in surround sound, "_just a warm body_". That's what she had been called at the beginning, but that's not what she was any more. Lauren looked away, rolled her lips together- careful of her lipstick- and worked to get her emotions under control. Lord she was turning into such a pussy. Wordlessly, she held out her hand, palm up and waited for the cool chain to land in the center. Instead she felt it being placed around her wrist. Looking at Quinn, her friend grinned at her. They shared a silent moment, a quick conversation; done with eyes, and then it was gone.

"They're here," Mercedes called, moving from the window. A couple minutes later the door bell rang downstairs and Mrs. Fabray called up to them. "Show time."

Slowly they each filed out of the room, Kurt and Blaine first, Tina next and Mercedes not too far behind, leaving Lauren and Quinn. Lauren looked down at the bracelet around her wrist, the charms gently coming together to make a chiming sound. Her eyes narrowed and then widened as one in particular caught her attention. She looked more closely at it then wished she hadn't.

"He picked that one out," Quinn said, ever the mind reader. "I don't really understand it, in fact I was a little shocked they even made something like that, but I guess you do understand it."

Her head moved up and down of it's own accord. "Yeah," she whispered, not emotionally prepared for this. Mother fucker was messing with her head and her heart.

"Come on," the blonde grabbed her hand, bringing her out of her thoughts. The petite girl grinned at her, "The princess and queen need to make their entrance."

"Let me guess, you're the queen and I'm the princess," Lauren parroted their previous conversation.

"Damn straight," her friend responded as they moved carefully down the stairs.

The others were waiting for them at the bottom. Each couple moving off. Mercedes leaned against a wall next to Tina and Mike. She was going it solo, but didn't seem to mind that one bit. Lauren noticed her eyes shift toward Chuck and smothered a grin as he returned the look. Sparks flew. Lauren arched her brow, already scheming in her head.

"I want some pictures," Mrs. Fabray motioned for everyone to gather around the fireplace. "Stand next to your dates." Quinn passed her mom on her way to where Finn was standing. "Oh don't you look amazing together."

Quinn blushed, "Mom..."

Mrs. Fabray waved her hand, "Okay you two young men stand here please." Kurt and Blaine did as they were instructed, standing on the far right of the fireplace. "Mercedes," the young black woman took her place on Kurt's other side. Lauren and Chuck were forced into the picture next, followed by Santana- who was wearing a form fitting fire engine red dress with gold accents- and Sam. Brittany- dressed in a simple black gown, or one that looked simple in the front but plunged low in the back- moved a chair to sit down next to Artie in front of Lauren and Chuck. Rachel- she chose a light purple dress, plain but still pretty- and her date Jesse- a guy that got quite a reaction; one Lauren didn't understand- also grabbed some chairs to sit in the front row. Mike and Tina followed them. "And finally Quinn and Finn can stand here." Quinn moved in beside Sam with Finn behind her, leaving distance between herself and both guys. "Oh you can move closer than that..." Finn wrapped his arms around the blonde's middle and moved them closer. Lauren could feel Quinn's unease. "That's perfect. Everyone say, 'Prom!'"

"Prom," they all said in unison; some more enthusiastic than others.

The pictures continued- each couple and group of friends getting forced into multiple shots- until Lauren felt like she might in fact kill someone. Finally by the grace of God it ended and they all moved outside to get in the limo. Getting into the stretch car was difficult with the brace, but somehow she managed without making a complete fool out of herself. Chuck moved in close to her and handed her a simple white rose corsage.

"Chuckles," Lauren shook her head, "I don't want that. We're going as friends and besides-" she nodded her head toward Mercedes, "I think it would look better on her wrist."

"Ices," Chuck looked over at Mercedes, watching her share a laugh with Tina. He shook his head, "You're my date."

"What the fuck ever," Lauren waved her hand. "Stop being such a loser and give it to her. I don't have time for your shit. Once we get to the dance I was planning on dumping your ass anyway," she smirked playfully. "I don't want anyone to think I'm dating you. That would kill my rep."

Chuck grinned at her. "You're so full of shit, Ices."

She shrugged, but didn't say anything else. Her hand moved to the charm bracelet on her wrist and she swallowed a frown. She really was full of shit. Her eyes shifted out the window behind her. And she really wished Puck was sitting next to her.

Lauren closed her eyes, trying to imagine was his reaction would have been to her walking down those stairs. Would he have been mesmerized like Finn was by Quinn? Would he have been thinking that blue wasn't her color and she should have chosen something else- oh who the fuck was she trying to kid- he wouldn't have given a shit about the color- he would want to see what she had under it. A small smirk settled on her lips. If only he knew. That lingerie that she ordered on line really did look fucking hot on her if she did say so herself. The black and deep blue corset hugged her tightly and pushed her breasts up, making her prom dress look even better.

In her mind's eye, she could see his mouth drop open at seeing her in that and the matching panties. Puck was an ass man, but he did love her breasts as well. The set she ordered enhanced both. A sigh built up in her and she opened her eyes. Lauren didn't know why she wore it. She could come up with excuses, the price- almost 200 dollars- bastards!-, the fact that it made the dress cling to her better, etc; but the real reason was that a part of her still wanted to show it off to Puck. And that fucking scared her shitless.

The limo rolled to a stop and she ripped herself out of her thoughts. The lights of Breadstix shone through the windows of the car. She waited until almost everyone was out of the limo before she tried to maneuver out of it. Chuck was by the door, holding out his hand for her, she smiled at her friend, mumbled a "thanks" before leaning into him to get her balance. Together they walked into the packed restaurant. All eyes turned toward them. From her right she heard Kurt murmur to Blaine, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

Truer words have never been spoken. The waitress led them to a table in the back and they each took a seat. Lauren felt all the stares on the back of her neck, she wanted to cringe, but instead turned slightly around in her seat and glared at as many people as she could. Eventually the gossipers returned to their own tables, dates and friends. Rolling her shoulders, she looked at the menu in front of her. Her stomach was tied up in hard knots. Suddenly the thought of eating was the last thing she wanted to do, but she ordered food and ate it anyway. The pasta was bland to her, the sauce tasteless as well. Everything that touched her tongue was heavy. She chewed and swallowed, hoping for it to end soon.

And soon it did.

=-0-=

_Cruising on the Sea of Love. _

_Well it could have been worse. That was the thought from most of the students as they entered the ballroom. Actually it didn't look that bad. Cheesy but not horrible. Molly told Jill that she spent almost a thousand dollars on decorations...the prom fund only had four hundred. Her dad was so going to kill her. Jill whispered to Franklin later that it SO wasn't worth it, she told Molly though it was SO worth it._

_There were stars over their heads- lit by twinkle lights, fabric on the floor to simulate the ocean depths, a platform made to look like the front of a ship where the microphone and DJ were as well as the king and queen, prince and princess crowns. _

_Everyone waited for Lauren and Puck to arrive. Almost the entire student body knew that Puck was the only glee kid not at Breadstix. This made some believe that Luck v. 1 really was over. Candace texted May that she was a little annoyed by that. She had bet her boyfriend that they would be back together by the end of the night. As it was, it looked like she was going to lose. When May asked what was the payment, Candace blushed and said that was private bitch and mind your own business._

_The room went silent when the Glee kids entered, then it erupted into fevered whispers when Puck came in behind them. Luck v 1 was so eye-sexing, Kyle told Marty. Marty commented back that it looked like they were going to do it on the hotel floor. Sally- Marty's date- told him to shut the hell up. Longing looks across a room was romantic. Stop ruining it! _

_The music played and students moved to the dance floor. Heels were kicked off and left in corners, under tables. In an hour the King and Queen would be announced. Who would take the crown?_

=-0-=

Puck's mouth went dry when he saw her. The deep blue color of her dress, the style of her hair, the way the lame ass twinkle lights shone on her pale, silky skin... she was gorgeous. His hands started to sweat when she turned and looked at him. There was a moment- brief as it was- where no one else existed to him. (Fuck, he's been hanging out with Finn too long- he was starting to turn into a fucking pussy) He wanted to walk over to her. To take her in his arms and kiss her until neither remembered anything but the fact that he could steal a credit card and they were in a hotel. She wanted him to want to skip the dance and stay locked in a bedroom, she got her wish. His pants were suddenly very tight in the front.

_Stupid mother fucker_, she thought as she got sight of him in the doorway. _Why in the hell did he have to look so fucking good?_ Lauren felt her breath catch in her chest. The tux he was wearing- shit it should be illegal to look that hot! It took all her will-power to not hobble over to him as fast as she could and slam him against the wall, just to feel him pressed into her again while she showed exactly why she was the queen of the kiss. There were huge butterflies in her stomach, but it wasn't nerves that caused them, it was need. She clenched her hand around the small bag that held her touch-up make-up, Kurt's idea; and by idea she meant demand, to keep herself from reaching out to him. This was going to be a long fucking night.

He turned down the girls that asked him to dance as he leaned against the far wall. They were all wrong. Too short, too skinny, too blonde, too nice, not bad ass enough. Puck didn't want any of them. Plus he didn't want to give Lauren another reason to think he was giant fucked-up player. That would definitely ruin any chance of her returning to him when he got to put his plan into action. He already noticed that she was wearing the charm bracelet, with his charm on it. A small bubble of hope bloomed in his chest. If he could keep from fucking up, he might just get her back.

Straightening up, he smiled a little as Mercedes walked up to him. "Wanna dance?" His eyes shifted quickly in Lauren's direction. She followed his stare. "She'll be okay with us dancing. In fact she's part of the reason I came over here."

His eyebrow slid up and his eyes narrowed. "Did she say something?"

"No," she sounded almost sorry about that. "I think she's trying to hook me up with her date though." Puck immediately looked over to where Lauren was sitting with Chuck, they were talking quietly and laughing together. "So to stop her from plotting, I'm going dance with you."

"Mercedes," he took a step toward her. "Lauren isn't really the romantic, match-making type."

She shrugged, "I think she's bored."

He didn't know if he believed that, but part of him hoped that if she was trying to play match-maker; that would mean she would be open to rekindling their own relationship. Puck and Mercedes walked out onto the floor as a Chris Brown song played. He moved her so that he was always facing Lauren. At one point she looked up, meeting his eyes- a heartbeat, a second- he smiled at her and he saw her almost smile back.

"Now is the moment everyone has been wanting for," the bubbly brunette said as she took the mic from the DJ. Lauren rolled her eyes. Cheery people annoyed. "I want to thank everyone that voted and the ones that helped make this prom the best William McKinley High has ever seen. Give yourselves a hand." Scattered applause was barely heard over the groaning. "Ahem," she grinned, taking an envelop from a platter being handle by a guy that was looking very bored indeed. Lauren wished the girl would shut the hell up. Her voice was grating on her last nerve. "This year's Prince and Princess are," the loud noise of the envelop being opened assaulted her ears, "Quinn Fabray and Finn Hudson!"

The applause this time wasn't scattered. Loud screams and whistles came from the crowd. Lauren grinned at her friend, pointing at her and mouthed, "Princess". Quinn rolled her eyes and mouthed back, "Brat." Lauren shrugged, watching her friends go up to claim their crowns. Chuck leaned into her, "You know that means you probably won."

"Shut up," she hissed. "Puck and I were written on the ballot because this school became obsessed with making up lame ass stories. We aren't going to win."

"Why do you sound so disappointed by that," her friend asked.

She caught sight of Puck talking with Sam and Mercedes. Her heart started beating a little faster. Her date touched her shoulder, obviously waiting on an answer. She turned back to the front. She didn't have one to give him.

"Okay," the cheery, annoying bitch started talking again as Quinn and Finn moved off to the side of the stage. "That means it's time for the crowning of our 2011 Prom King and Queen." She clapped enthusiastically. Lauren was now convinced she was on speed. She took the remaining envelop from the platter and took a deep breath. "Isn't this exciting?" Oh someone please knock the bitch out, Lauren thought. "The Prom King is, drum roll please," the DJ hit a button on his system and a drum roll started. Lauren looked down at the cheap table she was sitting at, would it be hard enough to knock _her_ out? "Noah Puckerman!"

Lauren spun in her chair and locked eyes with her ex. He moved from where he was talking to Sam and Mercedes, heading toward the stage. Puck looked at her and she held her breath. He smirked, going out of his way to pass her. His hand brushed against her arm. Goose bumps formed where his bare skin touched hers. Fuck! Her heart pounded so hard it actually hurt. The spotlight lit around him and the bubbly brunette placed a crown on his head. Lauren saw people cheering, but she couldn't hear anything except her own blood rushing in her veins. Puck's eyes found hers again.

"And our 2011 Prom Queen is..." Lauren rolled her eyes heavenward. Couldn't someone duct tape her mouth or something? Was she the only one that couldn't handle her voice? "Lauren Zizes!"

Silence.

Oh. Holy. Fuck!

Her entire body went numb. Chuck pushed against her. Mike pulled her from the chair with the help of Sam- where the hell did he come from. She was sure people were talking. Lips were moving, but no sound was registering. Lauren walked slowly toward the stage, confidence she didn't feel making her shoulders square. Puck grinned at her. Quinn and Finn clapped, large smiles on there faces. Somehow she made it up the stairs to stand next to him. The crown was placed on her head, she felt the weight of it push her hair down.

"Now it's time for the King and Queen's dance," the perky bitch said from behind her.

Puck took her hand in his. Warm, real, it fit. She felt her insides shake and prayed the rest of her body stayed steady. He led her from the platform to the middle of the dance floor. His right hand pressed into the small of her back. A quick intake of breath. The song played, On My Way- by Boyce Avenue, some part of her recognized the lyrics. Lauren closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on that and ignore the way she felt at that moment in his arms.

They swayed in time with the music. And her resolve to hate him forever and never forgive him swayed as well.

"Did you like the charm?" he whispered to her.

"Why did you get it," she countered.

"I," he stopped. They looked in each others eyes from a long time. He wanted to say something. So did she. The unspoken words were heavy between them. "I thought you would like it."

Lauren paused. The tip of her tongue wet her dry lips. Then she spoke, "I do." Another pregnant pause. She looked down to where their hands were joined, fingers interlocked together. Time passed. The song ended. Puck opened his mouth, but she didn't stay to hear what would come out. "I need to sit."

Walking away from him was hard. Knowing it might be the last time she'll feel his arms around her, nearly killed her. Tears- unwanted and unshed- built behind her eyes, she swallowed them back.

=-0-=

_Looks were shared as they danced, but no words were spoken._

_What could anyone say?_

_Watching them was more interesting anyway._

_There was one disappointment: no one spiked the freaking punch!_

_=-0-=_


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** high school love line and the rumors that follow

**Feedback:** Please and thank you

**A/N:** Please forgive all mistakes. I try to edit myself, but I always miss things...

=-0-=

_Well this is it. It's finally finished. I really hope that you enjoy this chapter. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and a special thank you to all of you that have reviewed. I have been very blessed by having so many loyal readers. You all rock! You have made my days brighter with your words and your encouragements. I can't express how much each review, alert and rec have meant to me. Thanks again!_

=-0-=

The rest of the night went by in a slow blur for Lauren. It was like moving through a dream, the images were sluggish and yet everything was enhanced. She felt the weight of lights above her, the air on her skin, the touch of her clothes. She shifted to look around her. The students she barely knew were dancing, laughing, taking pictures. They were trying to capture time, remember the moment, but Lauren knew she would never forget. She didn't need a digital slide show to help her recall what tonight felt like, it would always be there for her. The highs and the lows. The touch of his hand, the way his body and hers melted together. It was all etched in her mind.

Looking across the table, she smiled a little as Quinn very subtly reached over to cover Finn's hand with hers. They shared a small look then she leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. She caught herself before she could give into the sigh that wanted to escape her mouth. Lauren rolled her eyes. Damn she was slowly turning into a sap. Mercedes flopped into the chair next to her yanking her out of the Finn/Quinn romantic bubble. A wide grin splitting her friend's lips. Sweat glistened her brow from dancing so much. Chuck moved into the seat on her other side. Mercedes was careful to kept her head down, but the blush on her cheeks as Chuck spoke to her was strong indication that Lauren wouldn't have to do much to set them up. Good. They both deserved some lovin'. Especially Mercedes. Lauren had heard all about her crush on Kurt, before he burst out of the closet that is.

Sighing, she looked toward the floor where students were dancing to YMCA. Her mood was lifted when she spotted Ms. Pillsbury, dressed in a demure skirt and top, throwing her hands in the air as high as the kids. Behind her was Mr. Schuester, his eyes locked on the counselor. It was kinda creepy. A little stalkerish. That man was weird sometimes. Lauren let her eyes wander a little further into the crowd. It didn't take her long to settle on him again. Puck leaned against the wall, a small plastic cup in his hand, his crown tilted on his head, and a smirk on his lips. Girls came up to him- _touch him and die whore bitches, she thought_- but he barely noticed them. Shaking his head no each time they asked him a question. Lauren smirked a little then quickly wiped the expression from her face. A quick flash of heat flared in her belly as she watched him take a slow sip from the cup. She swallowed. Without realizing what she was doing, Lauren walked over to him.

He saw her coming and immediately stood up straighter. His grip tightened on the cup, she could see his knuckles turn white and was shocked the plastic didn't break or crack in his hand. She stopped in front of him, her courage leaving her stranded there. She licked her lips to give her a moment to think. Something she should have done before she got up from her fucking chair. Questions burned her throat. So many things she wanted to ask. So many things she wanted to say to him; scream at him. But only one word came out, "Why?"

"Why," he repeated, his eyebrow sliding up. "Why what?"

Suddenly she was frustrated and pissed off. The emotions loosened her tongue, "Why...everything. Why did you kiss her? Why did you buy this stupid charm? Why can't I stop thinking about you? And why do I give a fuck?" Her chest rose and fell with each breath she took, her heart was pounding. "You know I was better when you were just some hot guy that I didn't have a chance with. I was better before... I didn't want..." She shook her head. Stopping those words from coming out, for completely exposing herself to him emotionally; wishing she could take her other ones back. Her shoulders tightened. She knew that she was making them the center of attention. "Fuck," she cursed under her breath. Her vision turned cloudy and she curled her hands into fists, her manicured nails biting painfully into the skin. Her eyes locked on his and for the first time she saw that he was hurting as well. "I...you...we... Fuck!"

Turning around she started to walk away again when his hand reached out and grabbed her upper arm gently. He came up behind her, his front pressed into her back. Her breathing slowed down to match his. He whispered into her hair right above her ear, "Meet me tonight." Lauren was already shaking her head before he finished, but stopped when he said brokenly, "Please."

One fucking word. That's all it took to break the little bit of common sense that was telling her to run. To get the hell away. To protect herself. To be smart. One word from him and she turned into a girly girl that wanted- no needed- to hear what he had to say. Gone was the bad ass from a few months before that would have turned around, grabbed his nuts and broke them off. Gone was the girl that didn't need a man- especially Puckerman- in her life. Lauren wasn't sure she liked the person that she was now, but somehow she knew telling him no wasn't the way to get back to who she was. The only way was to hear him out. Once she did, she'd be able to wash her hands of this whole fucking thing. It'll be done. She'd have her answers and that's what she needed most right then. Lauren needed answers.

Turning around, she regarded him as coolly as possible, "Where? Where do you want to meet?"

A ghost of a smile curled his full lips, "Just get in the limo after Prom. It'll take you where you need to go."

"What the fuck are you planning, Puckerman," Lauren asked with a suspicious arch of her brow.

"You'll just have to wait and see, Zizes," Puck leaned in close to her and she instinctively leaned back, nearly losing her balance because of the damn fucking brace on her leg limiting her mobility. He caught her before she could fall, pulling her into him. The heat of his body burned hers. She inhaled deeply, taking in the spiciness of his cologne. Lauren nearly moaned at the memories that flooded her mind. The silence between them got thicker and thicker with each passing second. Her eyes dropped to his lips, barely a breath away from hers. It would be so easy to close the distance between them. So damn easy. He was the first one to move, backing away from her, giving her space to think. "You okay now?" She nodded, not trusting her voice yet. "I'll see you later." Pause. He looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Promise me you'll be there, Lauren."

"I don't make promises I can't keep," she responded. He looked crestfallen at her words, but cheered up with the ones that followed, "But I promise that I'll meet you." Lauren made a move to turn then paused, "Don't make me regret this Puckerman or I _will_ break your balls off."

"You won't regret it, babe," it's the first time he's called her that since that horrible afternoon. The endearment made her heart stop then pound in her chest. She nodded and started to make her way back to the table when he called out, "To answer one of your questions," Lauren turned her head to him and waited, "I got you that charm of ALF holding a clock because it was something we shared with each other. It's something no one else would understand." He closed the distance between them again. "It means something to you and me and I wanted you to remember that we were more than just a rumor magnet. We are even more than our bad ass reputations." He took her wrist in his hand, his fingers playing with the bracelet. "We're fucking awesome together."

She swallowed. His answer was everything she feared it would be... and more than she could ever hope for. Words stuck in her throat. She pulled her wrist from his light grasp and walked away. Her mind was racing, replaying his words, remembering the day that he saw her at her most innocent, the way he looked when he showed her his doll, the way he blushed a little when she called him cute and the tone of his voice when he promised to show her he was anything but cute. In the time line of their relationship that wasn't one that she would pick out as a major event, but maybe that's why it was. It was a small moment that was theirs and theirs alone. She touched the charm for the millionth time that night. She sighed._ Lauren Marie Zizes, you are so fucked_.

=-0-=

_Everyone stayed where they were. Eyes locked on the bad ass couple on the other side of the room. Grins spread across faces. Luck was back. Money was being handed back and forth. _

_Candace smirked to her boyfriend, he was so going to pay up! He glared, then told his friends that he was pissed. Couldn't Luck have waited at least one more day to start their weird ass relationship back up?_

_Jacob stood in a corner hidden from view and videotaped the moment between Lauren and Puck. That dress really showed off her badonkadonk. Mr. Schue caught him sometime the next night in the AV room. It was just too disturbing to describe, but from what Emma gathered and Molly overheard, Jacob was going to be suspended for a while. Molly told Chris who told all the hockey players, everyone fought for a bathroom stall. That dude was seriously screwed up and nasty._

=-0-=

For a second he really believed he lost his chance. Then it all changed with her promise. She would be there. Not that she really had much of a choice the limo driver had already been informed of the stop, but it was the fact that she wouldn't feel trapped that was the important part. He watched her walk away. His body ached from the loss of her. Having Lauren so close, feeling her skin... it just reenforced his resolve to do what needed to be done.

Puck nodded to Finn across the room. His best friend whispered to Sam, who looked over at him. It was time. They had to get going if they hoped to have everything ready for when Lauren arrived. He licked his lips, trying to keep the punch he drank down. His stomach was rolling. It would have been so much better had the shit been spiked. At least then he would have had some liquid courage coursing through his veins. As it was all he had was hope. A hope that grew a little when Lauren walked up to him and started talking. A hope that nearly exploded when she agreed to meet him. If she could agree to that, there was a chance she could and would agree to take him back- or at the very least be open to the idea.

He rubbed his hands against his pants, waiting for Sam and Finn to walk over. They stopped in front of him and grinned. "We need to go," Puck said looking towards the table where Lauren, Quinn, Kurt and Blaine were sitting. "I think everything is there already. We just need to set up. And anything that's not there is in my truck."

"How are the others getting there?" Sam asked keeping his voice low.

"Quinn, Tina and Mercedes are going to ride with Lauren," Puck smirked. "To make sure she doesn't decide to not show up." He shook his head. "The rest are riding with Artie's dad."

"Are you sure you want to do this," Finn asked, "I mean it's kinda- well, not you."

Puck's eyebrows rose, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I think he means," Sam licked his huge lips, "it's kinda romantic and stuff, and that's not what people think of when they think of Noah Puckerman."

"I can be romantic," Puck growled. "But what happens tonight better not ever get out." He rolled his shoulders and curled his hands into fists. "I will kick all your asses if it does." He noticed them start to laugh. "Fuckers don't think I won't. I've been to juvie."

"Dude," Finn laughed as they started walking toward Puck's truck. "No one is going to say anything, but if you think you can keep this a secret, you're insane."

"Every move of your and Lauren's relationship has been watched," Sam continued. "Someone is going to find out, not from us," he added quickly when Puck sent a glare his way, "but from some other source. Face it, this could mess with your reputation a little. Are you prepared for that?"

Puck paused in opening his driver's side door. The keys in his hands clanged together as he thought about their words of warning. They weren't wrong. He knew that. He knew that someone was bound to find out what he was up to, hell someone probably already knew and it was going to become gossip by the end of the night. He could come out of his looking like the biggest smuck to ever walk the face of the earth, but he could also get back the only girl he has ever wanted badly enough to put some effort into a relationship. With that in mind, he opened the door, climbing in and unlocked the other side. His friends got in as well and he turned to them.

"Let the fuckers talk," he shrugged. "I don't give a shit."

"Alright," Sam grinned. "Let's get this party started." Puck pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the direction of school. Sam picked up the brown bag on the dash and started to look inside, Puck yanked it from his grasp. "What's in the bag?" The blonde's voice was bright like he was on the verge of laughing.

"None of your fucking business, Evans," Puck prayed it was too dark to see the blush he knew was creeping up his neck. Fuck his rep was going to be completely destroyed. He needed to think of a really bad thing to do after this was over to get back some of his bad assness. "It's something I needed."

"You needed cr-"

"Shut the fuck up right now, Evans, or I swear I will drop you off in the middle of the road." This time he did laugh. It was loud and filled the cab of the truck. Finn looked over, completely confused. "Just don't," Puck warned his best friend as he opened his mouth. "Just fucking don't." Finn shrugged and turned back to the front. He glared at Sam who was still laughing, although a bit more quietly now. "You're an ass."

Sam grinned at him, "Takes one to know one." Despite himself, Puck started to smile. Evans was an idiot. They pulled into the abandoned school parking lot and drove around the back toward the auditorium. Getting out they walked around to the back of the truck, opening the tailgate to get at the stuff inside. Each guy took as much as he could carry to the back door of the auditorium. "Artie said that the alarm should be off."

"Well," Puck pulled out his lock picking tools. "We're about to find out aren't we?" He paused, looking back at them. "If you want to back out the time is now." Neither made a move to leave and Puck took that as a sign that they were in it together. He turned toward the door, working the wires into the lock, angling them this way and that. He heard the satisfying click of the lock turning over. He bit back a grin and opened the door, pushing the stopper down to hold it out, waiting for the sound of a blaring alarm. Nothing but silence greeted him. He reached down and grabbed the stuff he dropped, rushing through the opening. They worked without talking. Each had long ago taken their jackets and shirts off. Sweat glistened on their faces and chests. Puck stood back after an hour past and swallowed. It was done. The back door opened again and Artie, Kurt, Blaine, Santana, Brittany and Mike walked through with Rachel and Jesse coming in after them. "Well?"

"Looks good dude," Artie said as he rolled to the center of the stage.

Finn looked down at his wrist. "The prom just ended. They'll be here any minute."

"Okay," Rachel said as she walked completely onto the stage. "That means places everyone. Oh and don't forget the lights. I want Lauren to see everything." Puck came close to asking when she decided to take over, but then stopped. It was Rachel. Of course she would take over, it was what she did. "Noah, why are you still here?"

He rolled his eyes but moved toward the exit anyway, grabbing a bag on the floor as he past it. His stomach jumped as he saw the limo's lights in the distance. It was time to get this show on the road. Puck looked in the bag in his hand and took a deep breath. He knew he was putting a lot on the line. He knew Sam and Finn were right, this would be all over school by the end of the night and if it failed he would look like a fucking idiot, but he also knew that if it worked then all those fuckers could kiss his fine Jewish ass. He pulled on his tux shirt, leaving the tie hanging around his neck and ducked into his hiding place. Now all he had to do was wait.

=-0-=

_Five different cars followed the limo. The students of William McKinley would not be denied the freak show! They just had to be smart about it. Whoever invented the camera phone, God bless you._

_Facebook was buzzing with excitement. Twitter was alive with activity. Hey Luck was trending! Fuck yeah!_

=-0-=

Lauren tapped her hand against her leg as she watched the town of Lima go by her. It didn't take her long to realize where she was going. She tried to lean back and relax, very conscious of Quinn, Mercedes and Tina's eyes on her. Her stomach flipped when the limo pulled into the parking lot of the school. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the girls sitting next to her. None of them looked surprised by where they were going, in fact they looked amused. Lauren was tempted to glare at them until they told her exactly what the fuck was going on, but realized that wouldn't work. They were immune to her.

Figuring it would just be best to sit back and wait, she crossed her arms over her chest, watching the school get closer. The limo stopped and the girls piled out one by one. Lauren was the last thanks to her fucking brace. Climbing out of the vehicle was awkward to say the least; thank God she had decided to wear sneakers. High heels would have definitely been a huge mistake. By the time she was completely out, the rest of her friends had disappeared on her. Lauren frowned. What the fuck was going on?

Walking away from the car, she kept her eyes constantly moving, hoping for some sign of life. Nothing. A chill went through her body, but she refused to stop moving. If this was a giant prank she was going to shove her brace up some Glee asses! Passing a line of port-a-potties, she slowed her steps. The auditorium door was in her sight, the left one cracked open with light filtering through. A hand shot out and grabbed her upper arm, Lauren tensed. Her fight or flight instinct immediately going to the former. She wasn't going to be killed standing next to a toilet.

Her right hand curled into a fist and she punched blindly connecting with something or rather someone. "Fuck," Puck cursed, pulling her into the port-a-potty's door. "Damn Zizes. What the hell?"

"Don't grab me in the dark then moron," she responded. Her heart rate slowing down considerably. Her nose wrinkled a little. "Why are we standing in a toilet?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he said pressing close to her. The space was limited and they had to really get into each others personal bubble to talk...of course she could just back up. That option didn't seem to cross her mind though. He took a deep breath and handed her a corsage that she hadn't noticed him holding. The flower was gorgeous. Deep blue, wild looking. It wasn't the typical. Lauren sucked some air, holding it in her chest. She didn't reach out, she didn't grab the container, she just waited. "I got this for you."

"I'm not your date," she whispered the words before her brain could stop her. She mentally slapped the shit out of herself. What the hell was she thinking?

"You should have been," Puck opened the plastic box and pulled the corsage from it's home. He threw the box somewhere behind her, she thought at a trash can but couldn't be sure then took her hand, sliding the flower on her wrist. "There is a lot I should say to you." He shook his head. "Damn it, I'm not good with words. Everyone knows that I'm an idiot-"

"You're not an idiot," Lauren sighed. "I've told you that before. You're smarter than you think."

He smiled slightly, cupping her full cheek in his hand. It was warm against her skin, burning her softly. "I know I've been a fuck up-"

"Since we're standing in a toilet," she smirked as she looked around her, the smell starting to get stronger, "let's stick with the theme, you've been a shithead."

"Smart ass," he smirked back, he turned serious. "I'm sorry, Lauren."

"Do you think that magically makes everything better, Puckerman," she wanted the words to be sharp, harsh; but they came out broken. She closed her eyes, careful to keep as many emotions under control as possible. The anger that fueled so many of her fights failed her. She was tired of blaming him, of pushing herself away. Leaning against the opening she peeked at him through her lashes, "It doesn't make it better," she watched his shoulders start to fall, "but it wasn't just your fault."

"Lauren," he started, she shook her head. If she didn't get this out now, she probably never would. At least in a port-a-potty no one would hear her turn into a girly-girl wimp because who would fucking voluntarily stand next to one of these smelly things.

"I pushed you away," Lauren paused, measuring her words, weighing how much of herself she was willing to bare. "I know that I'm partially to blame for what happened between us. If I had..." she stopped. That was a road she wasn't willing to go down, not yet, "I'm not saying that I understand you screwing around with that girl, but..."

"She didn't mean anything," he interrupted. "I don't even know her name."

"That doesn't matter. You still kissed another girl." Her blue eyes turned sharp. "Why did you do it, Puckerman? Did you need to prove that you were still a womanizing asshole? Was being with me just too fucking real for you?"

"Yes," he exclaimed. Her mouth snapped shut. He exited the toilet, pulling her with him. "Being with you is fucking real. It wasn't supposed to be. We, fuck, we weren't supposed to work." He ran a hand over his head. "You really fucked with my head, Lauren Zizes."

That wasn't a romantic statement, or at least it shouldn't have been, but to her it was, because she heard the meaning underneath the words. Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage. Licking her lips, she took a leap, a small one, "Right back at you, Noah Puckerman."

He smiled. It was a real one. Not his usually one filled with sexual innuendo. It lit up his face, made him look younger, less hard. She swallowed roughly. "Come with me."

"Are we going to stand in a different shit box?"

Puck rolled his eyes and pulled her behind him. "Just come on." They walked through the back doors to the auditorium. The place was lit in soft light. The heavy red stage curtains were closed. Everything was still, but humming with energy at the same time. Puck led her to a seat in the front row, dead center. On the chair was a brown bag, crumpled at the top, dirty on the sides. He handed it to her. She arched her brow, peeking inside. A laugh bubbled up inside of her as she pulled out the box of Cadbury cream eggs. "They were easier to come by this time."

"You think you can bribe me with food," she asked even as she started peeling the foil from one.

"No," he grinned. "But I figured it couldn't hurt."

Lauren smirked, "See you do have a brain." She sat down in the chair that he stood her in front of and then looked up at him. "Well?"

"Well," he jumped up on the stage and turned to face her. "Are you ready to be wooed?" The laugh that slipped out was one of astonishment. "When we first started, it was because you saved me from that port-a-potty. I had no idea that you would ask for seven minutes in heaven, or that you would rock my world, but you did. Lauren you have shocked me at every turn. And now it's my turn to surprise you."

She arched her brow, fighting the grin that was desperate to spring forth on her lips. He slipped behind the curtain and she sat up. Lauren honestly had no fucking idea what he had in store for her, but he got her cream eggs so it couldn't be all bad right? Slowly the stage was revealed to her as the curtains slid aside. Her eyes started watering of their own accord. She blinked rapidly. Fuck, why was she turning into such a fucking girl? Puck stood off to the side where Sam and Santana were, a guitar slung over his shoulder. Sam was dressed in a pair of black suit pants and gray hoodie. It looked eerily familiar. Santana traded her red dress for a pair of jeans and a simple shirt, behind them was what looked like a make shift wall. She squinted her eyes and then rolled them- with "lockers" painted of the wood.

Puck opened his mouth starting to sing, she waited for the song to reference her ass in some way, but was genuinely pleased when she recognized the melody of an old Chicago song:

_I guess I always thought you'd be here forever,_

_Another illusion I chose to create,_

_You don't know what ya got until it's gone,_

_And I found out a little too late_;

Santana walked away from Sam behind Puck, leaving him completely alone in the "hallway". The cheesiness was epic and she no longer fought the grin from forming on her lips. It didn't hurt that Puck's voice was hauntingly perfect. It was like every emotion was laid expose to her.

The light over Sam and Santana fell dark and Puck moved a couple steps toward the middle of the stage. A new light shone from above and Jesse and Rachel were there. Once again Jesse was dressed in a hoodie. He leaned into Rachel; a shit eating grin perched on his lips while he watched Mercedes walk by, and Rachel had her arms crossed firmly over her chest. A scowl on her face.

_I was acting as if you were lucky to have me,_

_Doing you a favor I hardly knew you were there,_

_But then you were gone and it was all wrong,_

_Had no idea how much I cared,_

Sam joined him with his guitar and his voice. Finn added a slight drum beat from the other side of the stage, lit up by a single light.

_Now being without you,_

_takes a lot of getting used to,_

_Should learn to live with it,_

_but I don't want to;_

_Being without you,_

_Is all a big mistake,_

_Instead of getting easier,_

_It's the hardest thing to take,_

_I'm addicted to you babe,_

_You're a hard habit to break._

Once again the lights went out and only Puck was shone. Then all at once Tina and Chuck were displayed as well as Blaine and Kurt. Tina still wore her Prom dress while Chuck was dressed to the nines in his Tux. Tina head rested on Chuck's chest as both couples slow danced. In the background, Mike watched Tina, a heartbroken expression on his face- Quinn and Brittany held his hands, while he hung his head.

_You found someone else you had every reason,_

_You know I can't blame you for running to him,_

_Two people together but living alone,_

_I was spreading my love to thin,_

_After all these years,_

_I'm still trying to shake it,_

_Doing much better they say that it takes time,_

_Deep in the night it's an endless fight,_

_I can't get ya out of my mind,_

The scene went dark again and this time Artie joined Finn and Sam with Puck. Lauren tried to stealthily wipe her eyes.

_Now being without you,_

_takes a lot of getting used to,_

_Should learn to live with it,_

_but I don't want to;_

_Being without you,_

_Is all a big mistake,_

_Instead of getting easier,_

_It's the hardest thing to take,_

_I'm addicted to you babe,_

_You're a hard habit to break._

Then it was only Puck. He stopped strumming his guitar and sang to her alone. The curtains closed behind him, a single light on him. He stared at her.

_You're a hard habit to break_

_I'm addicted to you._

He leapt down and knelt in front of her. His light hazel brown eyes met her blue ones. "I," he paused, took a deep breath. "I..."

Lauren bit back her fear, doing the bravest (and probably stupidest) thing she has ever done and said the words he couldn't. "Love you."

"Love you," Puck repeated, kissing her hard, leaving her breathless.

Cheering erupted behind them. Both bad asses turned to their friends and glared. Quinn slowly descended the steps and took a seat next to Lauren. Her eyes shined at both of them, a triumphant grin on her lips, "Finally! You two are so freaking stubborn." She picked at her dress and turned to Lauren. "So Puck has something to ask you." Her eyebrow arched. "Don't you?"

He nodded, "So we're missing a member to the Glee club," he arched his brow, "You want to join?"

Lauren rolled her lips together then she smirked, "We'll see. I may have some conditions."

"Which are," he prompted.

She shrugged, a million thoughts rushing through her head. There were some things that needed to be said in private. She got up from the chair with his help. "What do you say we get out of here and I'll let you in on my terms?"

Puck smirked, she watched his mind sail into the gutter, right where hers was, "See you suckers."

Together they walked from the auditorium and headed for his truck. Her heart felt light for the first time in days. She was back where she belonged- with him.

Puck helped her into the truck then climbed in on the driver's side. He reached across her to open the glove box, taking out a folded envelop then handed it to her. Lauren hesitated in taking the paper for a second before gently plucking it from her fingers. She peered inside, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline as she pulled the photo and the letter out.

"That's Beth," he said softly. "Quinn gave me this photo a while ago. I miss her everyday."

"You didn't have to-"

"Yeah I did," he sighed. "You remember that day I brought you candy and flowers?" She nodded. "Well the day before I got that letter," he nodded to the paper in her hand. She slowly unfolded the note and skimmed through the contents. "The mother fucker hasn't been in my life since I was seven but he wants me to donate a kidney to him- or at least get tested to see if we're compatible." He turned toward the front, curling his fingers around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, feeling the rage build inside of him. "I hate him. I hate that my mother actually wants me to help him. I hate that even after all the shit he put me through, I still feel bad every time I think about him and wonder what the fuck I did to make him leave." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm always going to be a fuck up Lauren. I can ruin things. Can you handle that or are you rethinking everything?"

She licked her lips and looked down at the items in her hand, "Nathan would have liked you." She smiled, that was her highest compliment he knew, "Fuck up or not." Taking a deep breath, she turned him toward her and wrapped her hands around his head, pulling him toward her and kissing him senseless. The feel of her body was enough to cause his blood to sing, her tongue in his mouth made him want to rip that dress from her body and bury himself in her. Lauren pulled back and grinned, "I'm fucked up too. That's what makes us so fucking right together and what makes us so bad ass." She rubbed circles along his scalp. "We're never going to be the perfect easy couple, thank God," he chuckled. "But damn we are fun."

He pushed some strands of her hair from her face and smirked, "So what were those conditions?"

"Well, first I want you to win a fucking baseball game," she growled. "I'm not going to date a loser." He nodded, he could do that. "And second," Lauren's eyes turned deep blue, a sassy grin on her kiss bruised lips, "I want you to take me somewhere so I can show you what I bought online. I think you'll really enjoy it."

Puck jammed the key into the ignition and sped out of the parking lot. Fuck his girl was hot!

She moaned as he rolled her under him on his bed. His mother was at work. His sister was sleeping at a friend's house. Lauren grinned thinking of his reaction to her lingerie. It was so fucking worth the 200 bucks. She didn't realize his tongue could hang out that far. He lifted his head from her breasts and kissed her soundly on the lips, his hips rolling into hers, bringing her so much pleasure. When they pulled apart, she smirked, "You're finally doing it right Puckerman."

Puck smirked back at her, before showing her just how right he could be.

=-0-=

_Quinn sat at the lake, leaning against Finn as they watched the moonlight dance on the water while the rest of the group were in their own worlds- some swimming, some kissing, some dancing to the soft music coming from their cars. Her phone chirped in her handbag. Sighing, and disappointed in having to leave her warm place at his side, she grabbed the thin device from her bag. It read new text message. With a quick flick of her wrist she opened the cell and read:_

_**She's in**__. _

_A smile settled on her lips and she told the rest of the glee kids the news. Then another text came through, this one from Lauren._

_**Hey Barbie I'm back. Puck really earned it too. ;-)**_

_It took a moment for her to catch on but once she did, Quinn laughed then let out a loud "Ew." _

_That got everyone's attention. Questions coming at her from all sides. Quinn just put her phone back up. She'd let the school make up some rumor about why she said that. Isn't that what they did best anyway?_

=-0-=

The End


End file.
